Brief:

• 1800 Tequila is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its special packaging that highlights the work of contemporary artists with an augmented reality (AR) experience on photo-messaging app Snapchat. The tequila brand, which is made by Agavera Camichines, collaborated with Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel to create the AR experience, per an announcement emailed to Mobile Marketer.
• Snapchat users can see the AR content by scanning its limited-edition tequila bottles with their smartphone cameras, which will open Okuda-themed lenses. 1800 Tequila also created a 30-second video on YouTube that highlights Okuda's artwork in several neighborhoods in New York City.
• The AR experience adds an interactive element to the brand's Essential 1800 Artists Series that previously featured artwork by Shantell Martin, Enoc Perez, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. More information about the series and its AR content is available at Reserve Bar, an e-commerce site for premium spirits.

Insight:

1800 Tequila's AR experience in Snapchat is another sign of how spirits brands are transforming their packaging to engage consumers. Eye-catching labels and uniquely shaped bottles had been a way for liquor brands to distinguish themselves in stores, bars and restaurants, but younger consumers have tended to seek unique experiences they can share on social media. By offering AR content on Snapchat, 1800 Tequila can engage those consumers, prolong exposure to its branding and urge people to share the experience in messages and stories. AR lenses are popular on Snapchat, with parent company Snap saying 75% of its daily users engage with the immersive content every day.

With the coronavirus pandemic limiting sales at bars and restaurants, engaging consumers through digital channels is more important for spirits brands like 1800 Tequila. Some consumers had turned to videoconferencing platforms like Zoom to host quarantine cocktail parties with friends during lockdowns. Alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants rose about 24% during the pandemic, and beverages with higher alcohol content like distilled spirits increased 27% from a year earlier, per Nielsen data cited by NPR. Sales to homebound consumers are likely to remain elevated until more people feel comfortable about going out to bars and restaurants.

Even before the pandemic, marketers of beer, wine and spirits had developed a variety of digital experiences to engage younger adults on their smartphones, and even generate direct sales for delivery. Tequila label Patrón last year became the first liquor brand to allow ordering directly through Instagram by swiping up on its Stories ads. Californian wine brand Böen last year added special packaging that let mobile users see more information about its products by tapping its bottle caps with their smartphones. Bulleit Bourbon, Jack Daniel's, Kahlúa, Skyy Vodka, Malibu, Shackleton Whiskey, Jägermeister and Remy Cointreau also are among the labels that developed mobile campaigns aimed at prolonging brand exposure with consumers through mobile or digital experiences.