Deepening consumer engagement through sensory experience
Oracle Experience, foremost Nigerian activation agency, recently activated an unconventional interactive platform for consumers to get firsthand experience about the newly introduced ‘Strongbow Apple Ciders’ from the stable of Nigerian Breweries.
Perhaps, now more than ever, brand owners have come to realise that it is easier to sell products that are innovative, socially conscious, and well made, than pushing for more market share through advertising.
In today’s market, experiential marketing, which enables brand owners to engage consumers one-on-one, has turned out to be a strong tool for positioning. No wonder, spin doctors of various brands go extra mile to connect with consumers.
Unique product launch
In what looked like an unusual approach to product launch, Nigerian Breweries recently gave consumers in Lagos the feel of how the newly introduced Strongbow apple cider is being made.
It was an unusual four days of extra-ordinary experience at the parking lot of Ikeja City Mall , the venue of the unveiling of the premium apple cider as the launch came with a novelty, where guests were made to embark on an exploratory journey simulating the step-by-step process of making Strongbow Apple Ciders. The journey began when the apples -the central ingredient of the cider- are harvested through to the production process, which gives birth to the crisp tasting and refreshing Strongbow apple cider. All these achieved through a multi-sensory experience process that enable attendees’ senses to be awaken.
Innovation behind the unveiling
The experience center, a replica apple farm and fermentation factory further attests to the creative ingenuity of Oracle. Among other innovations, the agency last year created a tunnel that spanned several meters with 3,500 crates at the re-launch of Gulder in Lagos. In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer, Oracle Experience Limited, Felix King Eiremiokhae said the brand wanted to tell her story in a unique and memorable way through real experience. He described brand experience as ability to awaken human senses.
“What the team did with the Strongbow project was to give consumers the total sensory experience about the new product. We wanted to tap into the senses of the consumers and use them tell the real story of how the product is made being the only cider in the market made with real apple. We tried to drive the message the brand was trying to communicate,” “made of real apple”
How best can we communicate its essence than using the “ the apple garden to the golden moment” process to tell the whole story (The golden moment is the drinking moment). We want people to leave the place with the message that the new product is made from real apple. “If you tell me I can forget and if you show me I may not remember but if you involve me, I will understand” and it will stick to my memory and I will share my experience with my friend. That was why we involved the consumer to have a clear understanding of what the product is all about through multi-sensory experience engagement.
Speaking about the involvement of his agency in the media lunch, King said what Nigerian Breweries did through his agency was to take the message to stakeholders and consumers through a practical presentation to tell them all that they need to know about the new product.
The brand
According to the company, Strongbow Apple Ciders is made from real apples; it offers a balanced, crisp apple taste that captures the sweet and tart notes of the golden delicious apple. The brand is golden in colour with a crisp kick and a long, bitter-sweet after-taste. Its 100% gluten-free and a healthier alternative to flavoured beverages and beer. With 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), Strongbow Apple Ciders is said to be easy to drink by adults of Legal drinking age. To make it appeal to consumers, the product is attractively designed in an embossed 33cl transparent bottle.
Introducing the drink at the product launch, Senior Brand Manager, Strongbow, Ngozi Nkwoji, described Strongbow Apple Ciders as “an premium alcoholic cider that is globally popular, which Nigerians will love, especially those who want to try something new. The sensory experience, according to the Senior Brand Manager, was a deliberate approach to demonstrate that Strongbow was made from real apples, not apple flavoured, she said.
History
According to sources, Strongbow was first produced as a dry cider by H. P. Bulmer in England in 1962. The drink has since gone through evolvements that have made it the world’s leading cider with more than 15 per cent volume share of the global cider market, and a 29 per cent volume share of the UK cider market.