Alcon launches its craft beer into AR-enabled cans
Russian beer brand Alcon, has partnered with Ball Corporation for the new launch of Braus. Currently in glass bottles, the craft beer range has now embraced the 360º canvas of the can.
First entering the beer market in the summer of 2018, the Bavarian Lager, Premium Braus and Amber Ale Braus, launched in 500ml glass bottles. Beer in cans grew 7% in Russia 2017-2018; and following the popularity of convenient and stylish aluminum cans in the Russian market, Braus adds to the 35% of new beer and cider launches in cans year to date.
Positioned as a “craft beer with a special taste and attitude”, Alcon chose Ball’s leading HD technology to bring this across onto the can. The fine attention to detail reflects the personality of each flavour through the facial illustrations on the can. In partnership with Ball, Asgard Branding Agency and Ama-Lab, the brand extended the appeal one step further by adding Augmented Reality (AR) technology, the first in the Russian market.
Enhancing consumer experience, shoppers can download the Braus mobile application from the App Store or Google Play Store and then point their camera at the beer label to see, and hear, the portraits come to life.
Nikita Volkov, marketing director for Alcon, said: “With craft beer becoming increasingly popular in Russia, as well as the rising popularity of our Braus range, we made the conscious decision to launch the range in aluminium cans to not only reach out to new fans but also drive home our sustainability credentials.
“When creating the original design for Braus, we wanted to be the first in Russia to launch an AR project like this and we’re delighted with the results we have achieved. None of this would have been possible without our partnership with Ball, who has been integral to our launch.”
Irina Dolyanovskaya, Russian sales manager at Ball, said: “We are really inspired by companies like Alcon who embrace sustainability and aim to change their footprint and we’re delighted that they chose us to partner with to bring their new designs to life. As market leaders ourselves, we’re overjoyed that Alcon was able to utilise our enhanced can technology to bring the first AR activation to Russia and we can’t wait to see the results of its performance on-shelf.”
Braus is currently on sale in retail networks across Russia including Pyatyorochka, Auchan and Avoska in a 500ml aluminum format.
