Immersive Experience For Craft Brewers.
Thinfilm Interactive Coaster - App
Thinfilm Interactive Coaster - App
VSSL creates immersive experience – from concept to execution – to help Thinfilm reach audience in new ways.
Background
Thinfilm, a leading global provider of near-field communication (NFC) mobile marketing solutions, decided to do something different at the annual Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN.
Rather than offer the usual tchotchkes and games that are so prevalent at today’s tradeshows, Thinfilm wanted to provide a non-traditional, immersive experience for attendees.
The company’s goal was to demonstrate to brewers how its NFC technology, SpeedTap™, could help them stand out in the crowded food and beverage industry using digital coasters.
SpeedTap allows consumers tap a product tag or other embedded device with their smartphones and then see a customized landing page, video or other digital asset provided by the brand.
“Thinfilm sought to show by example how SpeedTap could change consumer expectations and create digital touchpoints on products that motivate buyers to use their phones to get info and deals.” — Evan Howe, VP Sales, Thinfilm
The challenge was figuring out what that immersive experience would be.
Solution
Thinfilm hired VSSL, a digital marketing agency that builds solutions rooted in strategy, design and technology, to create and implement an interactive marketing campaign.
Creative Concept
The first step for the VSSL team was to research the craft brew industry and then brainstorm ideas. What was unique about the audience? What would get them to engage with Thinfilm?
We determined that people who drink beer also love talking about beer. For example, they enjoy sharing their knowledge of different styles, origins, yeasts, hops, even color. What better way to get them to talk about beer than by way of a quiz?
We then recommended that Thinfilm place its interactive coasters throughout bars around the conference with artwork to entice patrons to take a quiz.
Execution
With Thinfilm on board with our approach, the next step was to write it and then build it.
Again, Thinfilm turned to our team and gave us the creative freedom to design a campaign that would resonate with the conference audience.
We opted to use a third-party vendor, Jebbit, to quickly build the high-performance mobile quizzes that we needed to introduce Thinfilm to conference attendees. As we developed the quiz, we made sure to keep the design and overall experience in line with the Craft Brewers Conference theme and homed in on ways to resonate with the culture of beer brewers.
The interactive experience was anchored by custom landing pages in HubSpot, which allowed Thinfilm to gather lead information from the quizzes.
Solutions: Campaign Design, Customer Experience,
About the Conference:
Hosted by the Brewers Association, the Craft Brewers Conference is a huge event for craft brewers. In 2018, it attracted:
“Thanks to VSSL, we have been able to achieve key new marketing objectives, while our internal resources were allocated elsewhere. We get the benefit of a full-service agency for every campaign, from strategy to execution.”
Craft beer lovers responded positively to the innovative quiz.
In fact, 84% of participants who started the quiz completed it.
The quizzes qualified the leads based on their status as either a brewer, a brewery owner, or a general beer fan. The most qualified leads were invited to an exclusive happy hour party where Thinfilm could get face time to demo their technology. Almost 50% of qualified leads RSVP’d to the happy exclusive happy hour.
Thinfilm Interactive Coaster - App
Thinfilm appreciated the creative approach VSSL took in solving a problem facing many marketers at today’s tradeshows: how to get noticed.
“Thanks to VSSL, we have been able to achieve key new marketing objectives, while our internal resources were allocated elsewhere. We get the benefit of a full-service agency for every campaign, from strategy to execution. I would recommend VSSL to anyone looking to elevate their positioning and create meaningful conversations with their customers.” — Evan Howe, VP Sales, Thinfilm
ABOUT THINFILM Thin Film Electronics ASA (“Thinfilm”) is a global leader in NFC mobile marketing and smart-packaging solutions using printed electronics technology. Thinfilm creates printed tags, labels, and systems that include sensors and wireless communication — all at a cost-per-function unmatched by conventional electronic technologies.
