GIGIL Metama wakes up Digicon with AI coffee machine that brews based on eye bags

At a conference where attention is scarce and fatigue is inevitable, GIGIL found a way to turn exhaustion into engagement. The agency’s tech and innovation arm joined Digicon with a clear objective: attract new clients in an environment saturated with sales pitches.

Instead of competing with presentations and panels, GIGIL Metama leaned into a universal truth of conferences – everyone is tired.

Running from as early as 8am to 5pm, Digicon leaves many attendees struggling to stay alert. This insight led to the creation of The Grind, an AI-powered coffee dispenser that scans attendees’ eye bags and brews a cup calibrated to their level of fatigue. The more pronounced the eye bags, the stronger the coffee.

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What could have been a conventional booth activation quickly evolved into an experiential demonstration of the agency’s capabilities. By transforming a physical signal of exhaustion into usable data, GIGIL Metama showcased how AI can be applied in playful yet functional ways.

For two days, the installation served unlimited coffee to conference-goers, drawing steady crowds curious to see how their lack of sleep translated into caffeine intensity. The activation effectively blurred the line between utility and innovation – offering something attendees genuinely needed, while embedding the agency’s technical credentials into the experience.

More importantly, the activation delivered tangible business outcomes.

What began as a creative way to wake up marketers ultimately “woke up” GIGIL Metama’s pipeline. The agency reports that the initiative has already helped secure two global clients – The Magnum Ice Cream Company and Manulife Financial Corporation – resulting in new projects valued at eight times the cost of participating in the conference.

GIGIL Metama’s approach merges data, utility and storytelling into an experiential idea – one that is demonstrated rather than declared.

The activation was led by chief creative officers Badong Abesamis and Herbert Hernandez, alongside managing partner Jake Yrastorza and group creative director Jeano Cruz. Public relations was handled by Katok, while production was carried out in collaboration with partners including UNC Coffee, Globaltronics and Prismatic Productions.

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