19 CRIMES

Between 1788 and 1868, about 162,000 convicts were transported from England and Ireland to penal colonies in Australia (Wikipedia). The majority of these convicts were transported for petty crimes in an attempt to relieve further overcrowding of British prisons.

During this period of time, a variety of lists had been published that documented crimes that were “punishable by transportation”. These lists were similar in content and usually included about 20 offences. An example such a list can be found in a treatise by the founder of the Thames River Police, Patrick Colquhoun titled “A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis” first published in 1800. Pretty obscure, but if you’re into historical criminology you can find the details here.

An unexpected consequence of this policy was to turn petty criminals into colonists that hammered out new lives and a new country in frontier Australia.

The true stories of these convicts, some of which became folk heroes, were the inspiration for the “19 Crimes” label from the Australian winery “Treasury Wine Estates” (TWE). Launched in 2017, the brand currently offers 8 reds (some aged in rum barrels), 2 whites and a rose. While this falls short of a one to one match of crimes to cameos, all 19 crimes are printed randomly on the collectible corks of each bottle.

Backstory aside, the marketing genius behind the brand’s introduction was to incorporate a unique augmented reality experience into the label of each bottle (every bottle tells a story). This differentiated the brand from competitors driving consumer curiosity and engagement in an ongoing narrative. The portal to the experience comes from the IOS app “Living Wine Labels”.

You can watch a YouTube video of the app experience or you can download the app yourself from either app store then scan the image on the right (it’s a lot more fun to DIY!).

A quick check on Google Trends shows the immediate impact the program had on consumer behavior following the launch. The graphic below shows consumer interest in “19 Crimes Wine” as well as interest in “Augmented Reality” from Jan 2017 to Jan 2023. The app has been downloaded over 5.5 M times since July 2017 and the effect on TWE’s bottom line has been a whopping 40% increase in case sales! This on top of snagging Market Watch’s 2017 Wine Brand of the Year Award, the prestigious Super REGGIE Award from the Association of National Advertisers and #1 wine/beverage app rating by Apple and Business Wire!

Building on their success, TWE recently engaged Snoop Dogg to tell his personal story of redemption under the 19 Crimes label. Sure, he’s a long way from the penal colonies of Australia, but the message is on target! Scan the label and let Snoop bring you up to speed, or check it out on YouTube. If you’re using the app you’ll see that it contains an additional link for a bonus experience with the “Doggfather”. Place an AR Snoop on your desktop and hear his interactive responses to any of your questions!

Kind of a high-tech version of the “Magic 8 Ball” fortune teller that we all played with as kids.

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Not to be upstaged by the Aussies, back in Lynchburg Tennessee, Jack Daniels has also jumped on the AR marketing wagon with their own app (IOS & Android).

More ambitious in content delivery than TWE, the Jack Daniels story unfolds as a series of narrated dioramas. You can check it out on YouTube or alternatively you can download the app and scan the image of “Old No. 7” below.

A common thread in both of these implementations is to engage customers with unique story lines which can be static (Jack Daniels) or developing over time (TWE). TWE’s “askthedoggfather” app ups the ante even more by enabling real-time interaction with an AI-driven AR. This isn’t the first time that AR has been used in a sales or marketing environment.

For example, in August 2022 Bridgestone Golf introduced their “Bridgestone Golf Experience” app. According to Golf Ball Marketing Manager Elliot Mellow:

You can access the web app by scanning the QR code below with your smart phone (a separate app download is not required) or you can see it in action on YouTube.

From his first motorcycles (a Honda S65 and an S90) when he was 16 to 50 years later, Don Musick has never stopped twisting the throttle. Although his accomplishments in the research arena have surpassed his MX career Don has over 25 years experience with major manufacturers in the Powersports and Automotive industries specializing in e-business solutions for retail distribution networks. His solution portfolio includes the development and implementation of manufacturer/dealer extranets, consumer-direct commerce portals, manufacturer/dealer e-channel integrations as well as development of web-based sales force automation tools. For most of his career, Don has been fascinated (his wife would say obsessed) with geographic market analytics, dealer location planning and sales territory optimization. He founded Genesys Technology Solutions (GenesysTech) http://www.genesystech.com/ to develop new tools and market intelligence products to help manufacturers understand the competitive landscape of their industries, recognize opportunities and grow their businesses. A Spartan to the core, Don earned a B.S. in Physiology and PhD in Biochemistry from Michigan State University. Contact: dmusick@genesystech.com