That’s the spirit
Coconut flavoured rum brand Malibu has released its new ‘connected’ bottles.
A total of 45,000 Malibu bottles have been produced including an entirely app-less technology called near field communication (NFC) to deliver content directly to a smartphone, and represent the largest global deployment ever of NFC on an alcohol product.
Embracing the brand’s ‘Because Summer’ ethos, the technology simply requires users to tap their NFC enabled android phone onto the bottle’s Malibu sunset image to access content and prize draws instantly. The result of the brand’s ongoing partnership with creative agency SharpEnd, the initiative follows work undertaken at Malibu’s innovation lab in Stockholm to create a ‘connected’ bottles showcase, which has now led to the world’s first pilot of its kind, to be trialled in the UK this month.
Embracing the technology, Malibu will be turning each bottle into a direct, digital touchpoint for consumers. Tapping the iconic sunset logo on the Malibu bottle will open up a world of five digital ‘Because Summer’ experiences that consumers can access through their mobile browsers, including:
- Instant win competition: tap to win UE Boom speakers
- User generated content competition: an opportunity to win a holiday in Barbados
- Bartender in a bottle: Malibu ‘Because Summer’ drinks recipes
- Bar locator: uses the consumer’s geo-location to find the nearest Malibu bar and alfresco drinking spots
- Playlist: connects to Malibu Play on mix cloud to give playlists from Groove Armada, Marvin Humes, Clean Bandit and more
Colin Kavanagh, Malibu global VP for marketing, comments, “This is a huge world first for Malibu and the wider alcohol sector and reinforces our commitment to pushing the boundaries for Malibu in the digital arena. We are very excited that Malibu is the first spirits brand to bring this innovative technology to the forefront of the industry, and we look forward to rolling out the concept around the world.”
Cameron Worth, founder of SharpEnd, adds, “Bottles are now media platforms, able to drive localised content that is defined by the market that sells the product and maintains the consumer relationship. Once the bottle becomes a media platform, there are so many different things that can be delivered that are beneficial to shoppers. This provides an entirely new way to communicate with them and brings Malibu directly in front of its target audience, presenting the opportunity to drive brand loyalty through service delivery.”
