Throughout the world, the law that forbids drinking in public spaces has existed for a long time, but in Colombia, this legislation just arrived a few months ago. This includes the sidewalks. Traditionally in Colombia, the humble sidewalk has been a sacred cultural space. It has been the social gathering place that has fostered friendships over generations. Here we used to meet with friends with a beer and now they’re gone.

Many people have critiqued this new law. So, we polled more than 12.000 consumers to get their opinions on drinking a beer with their friends on a sidewalk. More than 91% said there’s nothing wrong with this and further that they missed this place of friendship.

And, as Poker, the beer brand that stands for friendship, we had to do something do defend the gatherings in these sacred spaces.

We decided to copy an entire street corner and cloned it in a private outdoor space, in the street in front, a sidewalk within the law. We created the first place where it is legal to have some beers with friends. To do so, we copied every single detail working hand in hand with the best artists in country, cloning the whole corner, the old post, the rusty metal, graffiti art, ad posters, sewers; so friends could experience the clone as if it was the original one. Then, we invited many friends to enjoy this sidewalk in order to maintain the tradition that is deeply woven into the fabric of our culture. Also, we invited media so everybody could discuss our idea. This sparked consumers to create a movement in change.org asking for signatures to have some flexibility within the law.

We found a way of reviving this cultural behavior while not braking the law. To do so, we carefully studied the new police code to determine that we could create a sidewalk in any outdoor private place. And to invite people to again feel as if they were in their old gathering places, we cloned the sidewalk in every detail and invited them to spend time with their friends and a few beers. Showcasing to the authorities the cultural significance, and that there is nothing wrong with this.

- More than 6 million views in 2 weeks

- 450 million interactions

- 500.000 people have asked us to clone their own sidewalk