Augmented Reality (AR) experiences are relatively new in wine marketing. The list of brands that have implemented the technology is fairly short. Most prominent among them are ones that use the Living Wine Labels app developed by Treasury Estates. Most notably, 19 Crimes, Lindeman’s and Beringer. Then there’s this one, Rabble. The Rabble Wine Company has created its own app to enhance consumer experience with its product line. Five of their wines currently employ the technology with another three in the wings.
“The Rabble labels are renditions of historical wood block prints from the Nuremberg Chronicle (late 1400’s), textured and tactile, depicting nature’s wrath.” Their red blend, featured here, illustrates the apocalyptic comet falling upon Florence. The Cabernet Sauvignon shows Mount Vesuvius erupting over Pompeii and the Zinfandel, The Tempest touching down on Rome.
What’s the experience like? Play the video above. What you see is what you get. The animation is a bit crude but so are wood block prints. It’s colourful, and includes sound. I’m impressed by the effort.
How do you know to search for the app in the first place? You have to read the back label. They make it very obvious with the use of graphics that instruct you to Download, Scan and Experience.
At this point, it’s a bit of a parlour trick. Those in the know will show it off to friends and post it to social media. I discovered Rabble via an Instagram post. Now I’m sharing it with you. Isn’t that how social media marketing works?
There’s more to the app than scan and play. It’s also a marketing tool that profiles each of their wines, allows shopping, and encourages sign-up for regular communications. If this catches on it could be powerful. But there’s a problem. It requires effort and awareness on the part of the consumer.
Scanning an AR image with a dedicated app is reminiscent of what QR codes required when they were first introduced. They were considered a failure by many. Who would bother? Fortunately, the technology of our phones has evolved to recognize the patterned black and white squares. Open your camera app, point it at the code and a link to content appears. Consumers are getting the hang of it. The pandemic has increased the popularity of QR codes. Many restaurants post them in their window to allow you to see and order from their menus. Real estate signs include them to access a virtual tour of the home for sale.
Whether wine labels or any other product packaging, access to AR experiences needs to advance to where QR codes are now. No dedicated apps. Point your phone at an image and experience the content. AR also needs a universal symbol to inform the viewer that an experience is embedded. The technology will get there. The early adopters will have the advantage of knowing how to use it to full advantage.
Have you scanned an AR wine label? Tell me about it in the comments below.
