Image source: Montage, Unsplash
Internet of Packaging: Beer brand Madrí Excepcional relies on QR code and launches platform
Thomas Reiner | 19.07.2023
Molson Coors Beverage Company is one of the largest brewing groups in the world. As part of a campaign for its “Mediterranean lager” Madrí Excepcional in the UK, the packaging has now been equipped with QR codes that lead to a special “Conectada” platform. There, consumers expect added value. In the Covid years, solutions from the Internet of Packaging (IoP) sector have somewhat fallen out of focus. Yet there is huge potential here for activating and retaining consumers. The 3 Cs are crucial for success: content, call-to-action and context. This is where mistakes were often made in the past.
The listed Molson Coors Beverage Company was formed in 2005 by the merger of Coors Brewing with the Canadian Molson brewery. For the English market, the company is now building on an Internet of Packaging promotion as part of its multi-million dollar summer marketing campaign “El alma de Madrid” (The Soul of Madrid) for its “Mediterranean lager” Madrí Excepcional.
The IoP action
- Bottles, cans and multipacks of the Madrí Excepcional beer variety have had a QR code since the end of June 2023.
- This can be scanned by consumers and leads to the specially created “Conectada” platform.
- There, the company reveals little-known facts about the brand. It also provides information about its collaboration with La Sagra, a brewery based near Madrid, which “captures the soul of Madrid” in Madrí Excepcional beer.
- Consumers can also use the QR code to access personalized city maps that lead to special events, exclusive music concerts and the nearest Madrí Excepcional retailer.
- The QR codes will also be seen at public events, on social media and in outdoor advertising throughout the summer.
The campaign
Madrí Excepcional embeds its IoP action in a broad campaign for the British market. It aims to convey the vibrancy, warmth and progressive spirit of modern Madrid under the slogan “El alma de Madrid”.
The campaign is supported by:
- Video on Demand,
- experiential offers,
- social activities,
- partnerships with influencers,
- new out-of-home advertising (including palate walls and pop-up displays), and
- Point-of-sale materials (including eye-catching aisle fins, shelf frames and freestanding displays).
Thumbs up
In the years of the pandemic, solutions based on the Internet of Packaging have somewhat fallen out of focus. That they are now being rediscovered is no coincidence. After all, IoP offers huge potential to activate and engage consumers. This is all the more exciting because we urgently need alternative communication channels in addition to conventional advertising and social media outreach.
Prerequisites for success
Crucial to the success of IoP campaigns like that of Madrí Excepcional are the “3 Cs.”
- It needs attractive content for consumers.
- It needs a strong and clear call-to-action that motivates consumers to scan the QR code and discover the added values.
- It needs the right context (situations) for consumer activation.
In the past, these three core factors were often not consistently considered and defined upfront. A mistake that throws pearls before swine.
