Dolmio creates pepper grinder which powers down Wifi in order to have a tech-free dinner
Dolmio has turned to technology to help defeat the scourge of screen-obsessed children with the launch of its Pepper Hacker, a pepper grinder which powers down TVs, shut off Wifi and mobile apps in an effort to end dinner time distractions.
To demonstrate how it works, Dolmio “secretly filmed” reactions of the technology obsessed families once their tech was switched off and dinner was served.
The campaign, created by Clemenger BBDO Sydney, is a response to research which found two thirds of Australian households report arguments over the use of technology at dinner, with four out of five families saying it should be banned at the table.
First CatstaSCAM and now this. Clems Sydney desperately trying to churn out some awards fodder. Why are Mars allowing this?
Given mobile phone signal blockers are illegal, be interesting if it applies to Wifi blockers aswell.
This is very, very good.
AIUI interfering with both WIFI and Mobile signals are illegal, whether the target gave consent or not (due to the possibility of interfering with non-targets). I wish the advertising company every success!
This has more layers of bullshit than a terrible Dolmio lasagne.
If it is indeed a product thats available, it’s illegal under Australian law. The ACMA expanded laws beyond just mobile jamming not long ago.
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/.....-laws.aspx
Maybe Mumbrella can raise it with the ACMA. But I suspect its a well crafted piece of PR to get people talking.
It’s real. So many haters that don’t know what they’re talking about here… Btw you can shutdown Wifi and Cellular without illegal jamming. Just requires some imagination and hackery.
Yeah, I’m a hater for being concerned that someone’s may be interfering with the ability of someone to communicate with emergency services.
WIFI, I’m meh. But no, one does now screw around with mobile signals, not even to MITM them to permit calls to said emergency services.
Even if this were a real thing, if all the electronics in my house stopped working courtesy of Dolmio’s magic EMP pepper grinder, no one would be calmly sitting down to dinner. Not until we managed to get all devices up and running again.
And I’m really over mothers being depicted as helpless in the face of their offspring and technology. As if they lack the authority to just tell their kids to come and eat dinner. As if they have no idea how to disable wifi on the router, or turn off the tv. As if it’s technology that’s making their family dysfunctional.
As if their only hope is to use a secret device that automatically turns off and disables all electronic devices and deletes apps. Blindly trusting that Dolmio tested that it doesn’t affect things like pacemakers.
Seriously, if all the apps vanished off my devices, and then my devices inexplicably died, I’d be howling more loudly than my teenagers.
Where does it say it even effects cellular signals. Cellular devices yes, cellular signals? Perhaps not. Watch the video.
So are the people featured in the video demo real unsuspecting punters or Clemenger staff/friends of Clemenger staff?
scammy scammy scam scam.
Dolphin did it first! https://www.facebook.com/DolphinAustralia/photos/a.572970036065385.137627.566073066755082/954450354584016/?type=1&theater
brilliant. Who cares if it’s ‘real’ or not, the insight is gold and it’s fun content that makes a point that will resonate with anyone who has kids.
Well done Google Bob and team
Seriously how is the product relevant to this? This is as no linkage and is pure award fodder. This will sell no product. Just sad. What next a job to advertise a holiday destiantion?
@6: While this is just a stunt (they aren’t actually claiming that they jammed signals – merely that that they had connected up their own hotspot so that it could be turned off remotely) – wifi jamming doesn’t seem to be illegal under that ACMA rules.
The changes referenced in the article were about future proofing the laws – so it no longer gives the exact frequencies involved, merely that the ‘frequency bands that were also used to supply a public mobile phone service’.
(The relevant rule change, for the pedantic, was the new ‘PMTS Jamming Devices Declaration’ which replaced the previous ‘Mobile Phone Jammer Prohibition’.)
However under the ACMA rules the wifi frequency band isn’t classified as ‘used to supply a public mobile phone service’.
In order to be even more pedantic, that doesn’t mean that a wifi jammer mightn’t fall afoul of other rules. But as long as it complies with the requirements of
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2014C00930 .. it would probably be OK. (I suspect that it is probably possible to interfere substantially with wifi by maliciously transmitting packets – while still remaining in compliance with the signal level requirements of
Radiocommunications (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence 2000.)
— Mac
Sure the insight resonates, the execution does not.
There’s nothing here that some basic parenting and a power switch couldn’t solve.
How about a device that shuts down haters on Mumbrella comments threads? I’d buy that for sure. People are trying to come up with ideas, what the hell is wrong with that? Sitting on the sidelines and flinging sh*t is easy.
This is a good idea for a very predictable brand. Haters in this business don’t understand just how hard it is to get big brands to venture out of their comfort zone. It takes tedious meeting after tedious meeting, talking shite for months just to get clients to try something remotely different. If this had been a Dolmio puppet TV ad we would have been slagging the agency off for doing something predictable. Instead we’re slagging them off for giving it a go.
It’s a nice insight – in fact we proposed the same idea to a bedding client a couple of years ago to keep phones out of the bedroom so people can do other things… and we didn’t go ahead due to the Law and also imagine missing (or not being able to make) that emergency phonecall…
I would love to understand the tech behind this that is able to jam all wifi frequencies – as there are quite a few that run in Australia and other jammers are quite large (http://www.jammer-store.com/sp.....ammer.html) and wouldn’t squeeze into a Pepper Grinder
The Xbee chip shown in the ad doesn’t look like it can do anything of the sort – see http://www.digi.com/XBee. It connects devices to the cloud. So the only possibility is that the Grinder connects to the cloud and each of the houses have cloud-based energy management systems linked to all devices and it actually shuts off the power to them… pretty unlikely.
And even if this was the case… I don’t know about anyone else but when my phone and tablet lose internet connection my icons/apps don’t disappear.
We have all tried to sell this to clients, it’s the obvious thing to do.. Well done for getting it sold..
Doesn’t change the fact that tech isn’t the problem, sitting in the same place at the same time and being a family is..
As well as not eating highly processed, high sugar, high salt pasta sauces with your children, but hey, not like that is going to change soon.
The insight’s good. The execution only bothers people who know that it’s obviously impossible. The video doesn’t show a remote control for the local hotspot – it shows apps disappearing from phones/tablets and TVs turning off and not being able to be turned back on.
(I did used to have a lot of fun with my http://www.tvbgone.com, but that thing spends like 60 seconds cycling through all known RC signals to turn off models of TVs).
Problem is, you think: not possible, therefore “hidden camera” footage is staged, therefore actors, therefore “hey, you tried to trick me into feeling good about family time!”
But that only bothers people who know enough to know that. The YouTube comments aren’t “that’s bullshit”, they’re “where can I get one, because I want to screw with people.” And the insight’s good.
@Travis Don’t try to bend the spoon, just realise there is no spoon.
Easiest wif fi blocker that doesn’t affect your neighbours
1. Buy a remote control electric off/on switch from bunnings
2.Connect it to the powerpoint where your wifi router is plugged in
3.You now can turn your wi fi router off and on with the press of a button remotely
It’s just a bit of fun. Advertising. You warriors remember fun? What can we share an opinion on tomorrow. Or maybe shout at cheese. Go on mumbrella. Write an article about how cheese is edible and watch us type turds n whey before skulking off to eat it.
Oh lighten up you lot! It’s a bit of fun! Yes, as a relative of one of the creatives I have a vested interest but I also know how hard the team has worked to produce something different. It’s not going to be marketed generaly so no one needs worry about having their ‘rights” compromised in any way and all this talk about the legality of it is such a waste of energy!
Congratulations to the whole team at Clemingers and to Dolmio for having the courage to step outside the circle and go for something a bit different!
I guess the problem is that it’s being positioned as real and happening.
It’s not. It can’t.
If it was ‘the future according to Dolmio’ or ‘how Dolmio sees dinnertime in the future’ it’s ok… but the end quote is pretty definitive about it being real.
“….and created the Dolmio Pepper Hacker. Seriously, we did.”
“One turn of the grinder and you don’t just get a sprinkle of pepper – you get 30 minutes of tech-free, uninterrupted family time – whether they like it or not. Having used it at home for a couple of weeks now, I can whole-heartedly say it is one of the greatest things I’ve ever been a part of creating. Dinnertime is fun again.”
Good luck with the Cannes entry.
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com.....nullifier/
@Ryan Sproull. I can safely say, you and everyone else on this thread calling it a hoax, don’t have all the information. It’s a real thing and it does what it says it does.
Assuming that anything you don’t know how to solve is impossible, generally results in you looking like an ass when someone smarter proves it is.
@Travis
It IS real and it DID happen.
AK – Care to explain how then?
What did Apple think about making the Apps disappear off their devices?
And turning the TV off?
I guess it’s too technical and secretive for anyone to possibly comprehend…
@Travis what does it have to do with Apple?
Are you just another one of these people who think it’s not possible because you don’t know how to do it yourself? Sad.
@Andy
Hi Andy, great to hear from you.
“Assuming that anything you don’t know how to solve is impossible, generally results in you looking like an ass when someone smarter proves it is.”
By all means. And until I see more evidence than the blustery assurances of people with a vested interest in folks believing it’s real, I’ll trust my own not inconsiderable understanding.
Just to be confirm, you’re saying that you have created a tool which, without previously tampering with the target devices, simultaneously deletes app icons off Apple devices and turns a TV off in a way that prevents it from being physically turned back on?
So the technology looks like a hoot but seriously – it seems to me like they are interpreting the research in a rather twisted way to gt their ‘insights’. I’m sure there are battles about technology and we (almost) all agree that it has no place at dinner but I seriously doubt that the ‘hidden camera’ experiences are that real.
And if they are – WTF is wrong with these families. It’s really not that hard to get kids (and other halves) to turn off devices or leave them in another room during dinner. I have three teenage kids that are all entirely capable of burying themselves 24×7 in their devices but they are all totally clear that they don’t ever get in the way of us all sitting down to dinner and having a laugh while we eat.
Perhaps what’s really needed is family counselling services to help parents who don’t know how to parent ….
@Travis
https://staging.mumbrella.com.au/clemenger-bbdo-sydney-rejects-suggestions-dolmio-pepper-hacker-was-made-to-win-awards-284035#more-284035
Thanks for that link, AK.
So if I’m understanding this correctly – the devices have to be set up in advance for the Grinder to turn them off. Done to the kids’ devices beforehand without their knowledge, so they’re surprised when it happens.
Fair enough. The video gave me the impression the claim was that it worked without preparation, but this makes sense.
Not too much of a stretch, considering parental locks on other devices.
@ AK. The article demonstrates my point/s exactly.
It’s not real and doesn’t work in the situation shown. And won’t ever be available for consumers.
If you look back on my comment above #19 I’ve pretty much described the way it could work just as it was actually done.
All you need to do is add energy management systems to a house, link it up in the cloud, add MDM to mobile/tablet devices and it will work “a couple of different units that employ the technology to disable the TV, the Wifi and disable the mobile device,”
Pretty spontaneous, huh? Again it’s not real and cannot work in the situation shown.
It’s technically clever, and an interesting prototype… but don’t pretend it’s legit.
@Ryan
“Just to be confirm, you’re saying that you have created a tool which, without previously tampering with the target devices, simultaneously deletes app icons off Apple devices and turns a TV off in a way that prevents it from being physically turned back on?”
Your words, not mine. I said it’s a real thing, it does what it says it does and the footage wasn’t staged. Anyway, you can read all about how it was done here https://staging.mumbrella.com.au/clemenger-bbdo-sydney-rejects-suggestions-dolmio-pepper-hacker-was-made-to-win-awards-284035#more-284035.
For you and the others who said it was either impossible, illegal or fake, I’d like to remind you of something you wrote, Ryan. “Just the right kind of change creates radically new possibilities.” That’s what we’ve done here.
It’s new way of looking at the challenges and technology limitations to implement an idea that clearly a lot of other people wished they had cracked.
Andy,
Fair enough. The video gave me a strong impression that the claim was that the device had the effect without all of the preparation and setup that clearly had to be done beforehand. That’s what would have been impossible, which is why I said so.
But if the setup was done without the family’s knowledge – nicking their iPads and phones and installing things secretly – then yeah, it was unfair of me to suggest that the reactions had to be staged. Apologies for that.
It’s basically a remote-controlled parental lock in a pepper grinder. It suits the brand. Like I said earlier: good insight.
@Ryan
No drama Ryan. Apologies for being a bit snappy. The general, unnecessary negativity of the Mumbrella comments section never fails to make my blood boil.
I’m sure you’re familiar with this: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19
The ad is legit, it encorporates mobile device management technologies. They must have fitted the phones, tvs and the modems/routers with some sort of connection and they must have installed profiles on smarphones. You can clearly see that the macbook was still turned on. Maybe, modem/router and tv was plugged in an electricity socket that can be controlled remotely, and with a timer.
All “it’s a scam/illegal/impossible” talk aside.
BBDO made this video and clearly that is the ‘communication’ piece of this whole debacle. Now that communication piece needs to operate in the manner that any good communication piece would need to do. Some of the comments have noted that, saying statements like “great insight”.
This is not a good piece of communication. It spends half of the time setting up a problem, reminding the audience that they have a big fat ugly smelly no good conundrum. Then it shows a solution, which is not in fact a product or even the product that is being sold.
How does this dramatize the unique selling point of the dominios products? How does it tell the audience in a positive manner the reason to buy this FMCG product?
If you think this is a good advertisement you really need to sit down and think to yourself, what is advertising for?
Regardless of the medium, the contridiction between message and delivery, regardless of all the technical digital mumbo jumbo, this is under all of that, quite frankly, noise.
Stuff that, it will suck when you neighbors kids get grounded or have dinner and their stupid dolmio device stops your internet and tv as well. Especially for apartments and units!
i need to know where i can find it please send infomrtation
Hi this one good how can get this and where thanks
want one need one please
How to order it?
Seriously? if you can’t just have a ‘dinner time no devices’ rule that your kids follow you have issues a pepper grinder isn’t going to solve. (And yes I have kids. And no devices at the table ever.)
Its the concept behind it ppl.. not the actual grinder or havent u figured that out yet..
As for blocking emergency signals( i was in ses too for almost 6yrs..) dont u think if that was going to happen it would have already..geez..
This is about getting the family together again..something that has totally be lost with technology and the fact parents have lost control..
Its telling parents now to take that control back and the kdis having respect to do as the parents asks..
Its a damn good idea and I love it!