Standing Out via AR and Celebrities w/ Ming Alterman, 19 Crimes
Re-imagining what a wine brand could be, 19 Crimes has had many innovations, but found lasting success with augmented reality and celebrity partnerships with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.
Seemingly overnight, 19 Crimes, a division of Treasury Wine Estates, has become a Top 15 brand in the US and has a global impact. Re-imagining what a wine brand could be, 19 Crimes has had many innovations, but found lasting success with augmented reality and celebrity partnerships with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. Ming Alterman, Brand Director for 19 Crimes, gives us the history, best practices, and keys to success for the brand and AR.
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Detailed Show Notes:
19 Crimes Overview
- A Top 15 brand in the US according to Nielsen IRI, ~500k cases sold at $11.50/bottle average
- A virtual brand, no winery, no visible winemaker - disrupts what a wine brand can be - “The non-wine drinkers' wine”
- Americans often pick up a bottle because of the look and feel - developed the packaging and story to engage the consumer
- 1st black matte bottle, collectible corks with crimes on them, and augmented reality (AR
- Still need a wine that delivers for the price point and consumer first -> the wine quality creates repeat purchase
- Average consumer - 35-55 years old, wants to be a part of something and can relate to the story of the 19 Crimes
- Snoop Dogg's partnership has brought in 200k new consumers into wine from beer and spirits
Augmented Reality
- App has over 5M downloads
- Started w/ both AR and virtual reality (VR) to tell the story of the brand
- In 2017 - people didn’t want to put on the headset (VR) in-store but were okay downloading the app and AR took off
- Created a 3d puppet of the person, animated it, and recorded lines
- AR came a few years after the brand launch, was supposed to be a sales tool, but morphed into a consumer thing
- Consumer awareness - QR code on bottle to download the app, invested in POS displays and in-store marketing, some screens in aisles
- People scanned and download the app while in the aisle
- Success factors - instant gratification, people shared it and it went viral, good shareability, great creativity, and simple
- Requires ongoing investment in the app - e.g. - built ability to record in-app
- Usage goes up during holidays (people like to share it) or the launch of a new SK
Launching AR
- Easier now w/ web AR - can just do through camera phone vs needing an app
- Still have the Living Wine app
- Apple now recognizes QR codes with a camera, making it easier
- Getting cheaper, but still ~$80-200k to develop
- Ongoing costs - website updates, tech licenses (e.g. - AR engines), if there’s an app (easily 6 figures), creative updates
- Need a reason for people to come back and use it again
Marketing 19 Crimes
- Got tons of earned media
- Paid for Google Playstore/Apple App Store to get app downloads
- PR efforts and social media
- Ads feature AR as the hook
Success w/ celebrities
- Need them to be really passionate and involved
- Need marketing dollars to promote it, not just the celebrity deal
- ROI - for 19 Crimes, looked at the impact on the entire brand, not just the dedicated SKUs
- Compensation models - equity, royalties, up-front fees, annual fees
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