Honey brand deploys smart hives to protect Aussie bees

For the launch of its new honey product, called B Honey, Bega Foods worked with creative agency Thinkerbell on the 'Purple hive project'. The companies developed a solar-powered hive entrance that examines bees as they enter and pings out an alert if it detects the presence of the Varroa Destructor, which sounds like a sci-fi villain but is actually much worse. It's a mite known to transmit devastating viruses, and it's considered one of the chief stressors to blame for the decline of pollinator populations around the world. 

However, it has yet to infest Australia, and the device B Honey is promoting intends to keep it that way. Checking for the mite has heretofore been a manual process, but the smart hives use cameras and image-recognition tech to spot the mites. As the video above suggests, a ring of Purple Hives around the continent could help provide an early-warning system.

The project took 18 months to come to fruition, according to Thinkerbell's chief thinker, Adam Ferrier. 

That's the kind of effort Ad Nut likes to hear about, because it shows this isn't an empty ploy. As one who lives directly off the land, Ad Nut perhaps appreciates the crucial role pollinators play more than you city folk do, and therefore applauds this project. It's a fine example of a company not merely branding itself in a cloak of concern about an issue, but earning its right to 'own' the issue by, you know, actually doing something significant about it. 

You can read more at purplehiveproject.com.au or watch some impressive earned-media coverage here.

Ad Nut thought it would bee good to show restraint by making it through this whole item without any corny puns and without talking about the buzz the company is generating. But as you can see, Ad Nut struggles to resist such impulses.

CREDITS

Bega Cheese Limited
Adam McNamara – Executive General Manager, Bega Foods
Matt Gray - Head of Marketing, Bega Foods
Keri Morrison - Brand Manager, Bega Foods
Michelle Nguyen - Assistant Brand Manager, Bega Foods
James Coleman - Marketing Manager - Digital & Communications, Bega Foods
Hannah Saliba - Brand Communications & PR Manager, Bega Foods

Thinkerbell
Cale Berry - Creative Tinker
Nikia Shepherd - Head Thinker
Rosie Burke - Thinker
Adam Ferrier - Chief Thinker
Tarah Miller - PR Thinker
Margie Reid - CEO
Ben Couzens - Chief Creative Tinker
Tom Wenborn - Executive Creative Tinker
Lee Miglino – Legal Liaison
Sam Butcher - Insights Thinker

With the assistance of
Xailient Pty Ltd
Vimana Tech Pty Ltd
Honest Fox Pty Ltd

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.