Bru Mineral Water Battles Irritating Foodstagramming with 'Social Plates'

While 69% of us can’t resist ‘foodstragramming’ the perfect photo of a meal, this trend often occurs at the expense of both the dining companions at the table and the other diners – which is why 82% of us find it annoying. That’s why Bru mineral water decided to create the Bru Social Plates. These plates have a mission – to remind diners to enjoy the food, but more importantly, each other’s company. 

The handmade plates feature a delicate pattern that hides a secret: a QR code that sends a message to everyone who takes photos of their food, directly within the camera screen of the smartphone. Just pointing a mobile phone camera at the plate reveals the message from Bru in the screen: ‘Nice photo! But don’t forget to enjoy your dining companions as well.’ 

The Bru Social Plates were created and designed by creative connectivity agency Happiness Brussels, an FCB Alliance, and are handmade by the ceramic designer Martine Keirsebilck. The power of this campaign comes from the simplicity of using the inbuilt built-in QR reader that comes as standard on most phones since 2017 – no apps or downloads needed. 

Sparkling water brand Bru launched the 'Bru Table Mode' movement in September 2018 - an incentive to push the smartphone aside at the table, so that restaurant visitors can fully focus on each other. The campaign was immediately supported by various restaurants across Belgium, and you can easily recognise them by the sticker on the front door: 'This restaurant is in Bru Table Mode'. 

In October, Bru and chef Tom van Lysebettens from the Ghent restaurant 'Cochon de Luxe' went one step further and created the 'Bru Table Mode Menu'. This 8-course menu came specially plated - on the back of your smartphone. The Bru Social Plates are available for restaurants and individuals on bru.be. The first registrations will receive the plates for free and over 150 restaurants requested them in the three days following launch.