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Going beyond a label and packaging refresh, Taylors Wines' portfolio update includes augmented reality to deepen engagement with consumers, and an NFC-chipped screw cap for authentication and tamper-evidence.

 

To mark its 50th anniversary, South Australian family-owned Taylors Wines has undertaken a total portfolio refresh, updating its Estate, Jaraman and St Andrews labels and adopting augmented reality (AR) to drive engagement and enhance the Taylors wine drinking experience.

 

Via the new Taylors Wines mobile app [available on both the App Store and Google Play], wine lovers can discover the history behind the 50-year-old winery through an AR animation feature.

 

Take a look at the AR in action here.

 

PKN spoke to product development manager at Taylors Wines, Pieter Klein, who said the project has been on the cards for some time, and that Taylors had been looking into creating packaging activated AR experience but wanted to ensure that it was more than just for novelty value. "You have to give strong consideration to why the consumer would want to download the app and engage with the story, address the 'what's in it for me' criteria, and your story must be authentic," he said.

 

The app was developed in collaboration with digital agency Talkin’ Things, introduced to Taylors by one of its label printers Multicolour Corporation (MCC). The Taylors Wines and allows wine drinkers to unlock the AR experience using the scan feature with any bottle of Taylors Wines. On scanning and recognising the bottle, the application automatically initiates the animated AR feature of Taylors history.

 

“This is an exciting new step into how devoted wine drinkers engage with Taylors Wines,” third-generation managing director and winemaker Mitchell Taylor said, noting that the mobile technology is a stand-out feature.

 

 “While the redesign honours each of the ranges’ original designs, we’ve taken the update one step further into the future through the use of AR,” he said.

 

“The new application will give Taylors wine drinkers the opportunity to learn more about our family, our winery and the wine they are enjoying. And we have some exciting plans to further develop the app experience in the future.”

 

Taylor also alluded to plans to take the AR experience to another level in future developments, and Klein told PKN that the next layer of AR activations could roll out as early as October this year. 

 

 

In addition to the label scanning feature, purchasers of The Legacy 2014 (Taylors new super-premium Cabernet blend) will be able to access the ‘verify’ feature to ensure the wine is authentic and unopened. The feature uses a unique NFC chip installed on the screw cap to communicate with a smartphone.

 

According to Klein, a limited number (1080) of the The Legacy 2014 wines have been bottled, with over 500 destined for export markets. The wine retails for around $1000 AUD, making the security and authentication device an important brand protection measure. Klein said that the company is exploring NFC as an option across its portfolio. The NFC technology is sourced from an overseas supplier, but Taylors has chosen not to name the supplier for IP reasons.

 

“We’re very excited to be one of the few Australian wineries showcasing this new technology to enhance both the experience and security of our wines, and we look forward to expanding how wine drinkers can engage with Taylors Wines further through this powerful application,” Mitchell Taylor said.

 

The refreshed look across Taylors Estate, Jaraman and St Andrews ranges is rolling out as of today, with the Taylors Wines mobile app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.
 

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To find out more about the power of AR applications with packaging, and brand protection technologies, join Taylors Wines and other brand owners, designers and packaging print experts at LIVE: New Frontiers in Packaging Print on 12 August in Sydney. The day is run by Print21 and PKN Packaging News, and will include a live demonstration of an AR app off branded packaging, developed exclusively for the day. Book your tickets here

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