Creative Clipping: Eight inspiring thoughts from the alcoholic drinks industry

1. Who said learning can’t be fun. Raising The Bar, a not-for-profit organisation based in New York, are challenging perceptions of how education is consumed. Quite simply, they are taking education into the bar environment. The first of 50 events is happening at the end of April and aims to make learning fun and not to be seen as a chore.  “We want to turn lectures into part of popular culture – something that people go and see at night, no different from the way they would see a concert or comedy show” founder Yali Saar says.

 2. Pernod Ricard have taken one step into the future with their latest innovation.  The ‘Bar at Home’ concept gives cocktail lovers the chance to concoct their own drinks from a kitchen top drinks maker. It mimics a designer library, made up of “container books” each holding a sealed bottle of spirits and all connected to a smart platform. It activates basic home delivery, triggered according to the container level, to a whole range of tutorials about mixology.  A Pernod Ricard spokesperson says “We are utterly committed to the conviviality of the future”.  We’ll raise a glass to that (but only when it hits the shelves).

3. The use of mobile in the On-trade seems rather over due to us.  However, it seems to be here, and it’s none other than Guinness who are leading the way. They have launched a new mobile app, Guinness Plus,  for Android and iPhone that rewards users when they check-in to pubs. The App, which was over a year in development, aims to reward pub goers and increase customer footfall in the on-trade. Users can check-in to over 6,500 pubs in the UK and Northern Ireland using the App. The more they check-in, the more likely they are to be rewarded with prizes!

4. Jameson Irish Whiskey created a stir on St Patrick’s Day 2014 (17^th March) by making a limited edition craft beer.  They collaborated with London Microbrewery Beavertown to make a 9% ABV Imperial Stout, brewed using 18-year-old Whiskey barrels from the Jameson Distillery.  The brew is called Ger’onimo and is available in selected outlets.  If you’re not quick enough (only 3,000 have been produced), we can tell you it has a dark, rich flavour reminiscent of dark chocolate, oak and of course, fine whiskey. A bargain at £10 a bottle.

5. Heineken has teamed up with DJ Armin van Buuren to launch a global responsible drinking campaign called ‘Dance More, Drink Slow.’. This is a pan global initiative and undoubtedly shows their commitment to the responsible drinking cause. The tie-up aims to promote moderate drinking on nights out and is accompanied by a new music track, ‘Save My Night’, and a short film ‘The Experiment’, both of which were produced by Armin van Buuren. The main message is that revellers can still enjoy themselves, while also remaining in control.

6. Staying on the theme of responsible drinking, who’s up for a mocktail? The Redemption Bar, a non alcoholic establishment, is the newest edition to West London. Founder Catherine Salway wants to show Londoners there's fun to be had without help from booze. After a successful summer of residencies, including at Netil House, Redemption has landed permanently, in Ladbroke Grove. There is clearly something in the idea of a dry bar as they are springing up all over the place.  Great drinks without a hangover, we love the idea. 

7. Strongbow claims to have created the world’s very first digital bottle top with their new ‘StartCap‘ installations, where opening bottles of Strongbow triggers unexpected things on-premise in bars and at events. It’s powered by Radio-frequency Identification (RFID), with the bottle caps triggering/connecting the RFID signal as they are opened. This in turn is picked up by RFID scanners and translated into real-world actions like turning on projections, starting music and launching bangers. Nice idea, in the right environment! 

8. Carlsberg are offering their Danish consumers a new way to enjoy Carlsbeg and Tuborg.  The Happy Hour 2.0 initiative renews the age old bar promotion to fit with a younger, more tech savvy audience. Visitors to participating bars are given the opportunity to keep buying the beer at half price by uploading pictures to Instagram with the name of the venue and the #HappyBeerTime hashtag. Carlsberg has fitted the bars with a dongle that streams a counter to TV screens updating participants and bar staff in real-time as content is submitted. The promotion is yet to be trialed in the UK.  The Portman Group may have some questions before it is.

For more creative inspiration from the alcoholic drinks industry, check out The Network Experiential Pinterest board of images from adverts and campaigns to brands that we love. Cheers!