Brief:

• Tequila brand El Jimador added interactive elements to its "Soccer Moments" marketing campaign this summer with smart bottles and connected coasters outfitted with near-field communications (NFC) tags, according to a press release.
• When the bottles and coasters are tapped with a smartphone, El Jimador customers can instantly submit their favorite soccer story for a chance to win $25,000, custom jerseys and other prizes. El Jimador worked with NFC developer Thinfilm on the campaign.
• Beginning in June, the connected El Jimador bottles and coasters will be distributed through select retail outlets, bars and restaurants across the U.S. Following its Soccer Moments promotion, the tequila brand plans to use the NFC technology for a "Day of the Dead" campaign in the fall.

Insight:

El Jimador is among the wine and liquor brands that have developed marketing campaigns that include a level of mobile interactivity through smartphones and NFC tech, the latter of which provides a way to quickly interact with shoppers or bar patrons who scan the specialized tags to cue up additional product details or features.

The tequila brand's use of an interactive, NFC-powered campaign helps to differentiate itself from competitor Patrón, which also has embraced various mobile tech to interact with customers and deepen engagement. The Bacardi-owned brand earlier this year said it generated 6,000 to 7,000 sessions a month with its Amazon Alexa skill since its introduction in 2016 and previously created a "Bot-Tender" chatbot that suggested cocktail mixes based on a user's preferences. By launching during the FIFA World Cup, this new approach adds to the stickiness of El Jimador's "Soccer Moments" campaign.

Campari America, the U.S. distributor of Skyy vodka and Wild Turkey bourbon, this year used the tech for an initiative that featured interactive refrigerator magnets for people to order spirits for home delivery from Drizly. Oskar Blue Brewery last year used similar Thinfilm technology in 200,000 coasters distributed in bars and restaurants. While it didn't use the same NFC technology, the Last Wine Company in February planned to sell "Walking Dead"-themed wines with labels that interacted with an augmented reality (AR) app.