By John Lynds
Eastie based Downeast Cider deployed an army of Cyborgs to deliver their hard apple cider during Cyber Monday.
The Monday following Thanksgiving has become known as ‘Cyber Monday’ or the day Americans take to their computers, jam websites and crash the internet looking for hot deals for Christmas gifts online. Some big corporations have turned to drone deliveries as way to make Cyber Monday a truly high tech event.
But most companies have yet to dispatch an army of Cyborgs to make deliveries…until now.
East Boston-based Downeast Cider, the maker of locally crafted hard apple cider, started to leak news that drones would be making cider deliveries on “Cyber Monday.” On Sunday, customers and fans of Downeast began signing up to be the lucky recipients of a Downeast ‘drone’ delivery.
What customers got was Downeast Cider’s drones or as the company called them, ‘Freaky Robot Cider Slingers’.
In reality, the “drones” were just a few brave and, thankfully, shameless humans who were not above dressing like robots and running around Boston delivering cider for a day according to the company.
“Delivering cider by flying drone isn’t just hard, it’s pretty illegal,” said Taylor Hogan, from the Downeast Cider crew. “Rather than risk possible incarceration, we decided to add a little fun to the holiday frenzy and remind everyone that true happiness doesn’t come in a box full of crap from some website, it comes in a can that should be shaken hard and shotgunned with your friends and family.”
Cyber Monday is the busiest online shopping day and least productive workday of the year. The company’s shenanigans offered a welcome diversion for stressed out cyber-shoppers as Downeast Drone drops delighted cider-lovers across the city.
“I am so happy to be a part of this,” said Aisha Loche, who received the first drone delivery of the day in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall. “I am obsessed with Downeast Cider and the ‘drones’ totally got me. These guys know how to have fun.”
In the end the Downeast team called the event “kinda funny. Kinda stupid” but “Either way it was different”.
The entire Downeast Cider Cyber Monday experience can be seen or by visiting the Downeast Cider’s blog or on Facebook or Instagram.