Glenlivet is promoting its limited edition Glenlivet Code whisky through Shazam’s AR marketing platform.
With Glenlivet Code, the Scottish single malt whisky distiller continues its annual tradition of releasing a limited-edition mystery bottle, but this year’s partnership with Shazam marks the first time AR has been used to promote its yearly taste challenge. In previous years—the tradition began in 2016—users participated through an interactive online Q&A. Users can still take the 2018 challenge online if they so choose.
A QR code for Shazam has been printed on the back of each box of Glenlivet Code whiskey, which released on Wednesday. Scanning the code with a mobile device opens a virtual room, where users are greeted by master distiller Alan Winchester.
The limited-edition bottle is presented without tasting notes or cask information, challenging fans to determine the whisky’s ingredients through taste and smell. After a brief introduction to the challenge, the AR projected Winchester guides users through a whisky tasting and quiz to record their guesses.
Do you have what it takes to unlock the tasting notes of our latest limited edition expression, The Glenlivet Code? pic.twitter.com/LCOsUKLnWn
— The Glenlivet (@TheGlenlivet) March 21, 2018
Participants’ answers are marked and scored, and consumers are encouraged to share their results on social media using the hashtag #TheGlenlivetCode.
Glenlivet kicked off the challenge with an unveiling at the Black Rock whisky bar in London, where members of the press and spirits industry were invited to participate in a “hackathon” to see who could unlock the mystery first.
The use of AR and social media allows Glenlivet to promote its whisky to young, tech-savvy and verifiably interested consumers. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, millennials are responsible for growth in the spirits industry, which grew to $46.2 billion last year.
“Spirits makers continue to develop new innovations to appeal to a growing audience of adult millennials, and they are responding by purchasing and enjoying our products,” Distilled Spirits Council president and CEO Kraig R. Naasz wrote alongside 2016 sales figures.
Shazam launched its AR marketing tools last March, which have been used to promote a number of brands from grocery chain Asda to Michael Jackon’s album “Scream” and Netflix’s Stranger Things.
