Kilchoman Distillery is a “farm distillery” that produces 100% Islay single-malt whisky “from barley to bottle.” The company needed a way to connect directly with consumers – both to communicate its unique brand story and to differentiate its products from competitors in the increasingly crowded whisky market. As a result, Kilchoman evaluated technology solutions to address the challenge.

Kilchoman identified three critical success factors for the solution: 1) ease of deployment, 2) engagement impact, and 3) the ability to gain insight into consumer behavior via integrated software. They also wanted guidance on attaching the NFC tags to product packaging and testing them prior to distribution. 

Kilchoman chose to replace conventional neck-tag booklets with Thinfilm’s NFC-powered, interactive neck-tags for its Machir Bay and Sanaig whisky. The smart neck-tags, each of which contained a uniquely identifiable NFC tag and fully integrated with Thinfilm’s CNECT Cloud Platform, created a digital touchpoint that transformed each whisky bottle into an individual marketing channel. By tapping the connected neck-tags with an NFC-enabled smartphone, consumers were able to instantly launch unique digital experiences that communicated product details, taste profiles, brand messaging, and distillery information. 

While researching technology solutions, Kilchoman also evaluated QR codes but ultimately chose Thinfilm’s end-to-end NFC mobile marketing solution. According to Peter Wills, Kilchoman’s Sales & Marketing Manager, the company decided that “for flexibility, ease of use, and integrating into the packaging, NFC was the far better option.”

Combining physical item-level data with digital tracking
Thinfilm and key ecosystem partners printed, integrated, tested, and delivered the NFC-enabled, interactive neck-tags to Kilchoman within eight weeks of the project kickoff and in-market distribution began in early 2018. Thinfilm’s CNECT Cloud Platform stored and managed all of the unique tag IDs at the batch level. This enabled Kilchoman to track the time from “ship-to-shelf” across a dozen distributors in 13 countries. It also allowed Kilchoman to analyze item-level intelligence and consumer interaction data in real-time.

The Thinfilm/Kilchoman team created mobile-optimized product pages for each whisky brand in collaboration with Kilchoman’s creative agency. Thinfilm also produced a branded NFC scanner app – “Discover Kilchoman” – which is available through the Apple App Store and extends the engagement opportunity to iOS users.

Results
Kilchoman found Thinfilm’s end-to-end NFC mobile marketing solution to be an effective means of engaging customers through a single-channel (NFC).

It also mitigated the need for additional promotional support or omnichannel activities. With a 6.5% engagement rate, Thinfilm’s solution proved several-times more effective than traditional digital marketing activities. It also created a way for Kilchoman to connect directly with consumers and build customer loyalty.

Based on the success of the initial campaign, Kilchoman plans to eliminate the neck-tags and fully integrate Thinfilm’s NFC technology into its whisky bottle labels. Additionally, Kilchoman is incorporating new digital content and lead capture functionality to deepen its relationships with brand enthusiasts.