A glowing beer label for special occasions
The brewery Anheuser-Busch clearly understands the impact a label can have. For its Oculto brand, it has unveiled an innovative interactive label that engages customers and highlights the unique personality of the brand. Using smart label technology and LED lights, the company has started rolling out limited edition bottles for its Oculto brand that include illuminated labels.
The look and feel of labels on beer bottles matter to consumers. That is the result of a recent survey conducted by Package InSight at Clemson University sponsored by Avery Dennison. In the qualitative analysis, respondent provided answers like “The label catches my eye when I’m in the store so I’m more inclined to buy it.” The brewery Anheuser-Busch clearly understands the impact a label can have. For its Oculto brand, a lager blended with beer aged on tequila barrel staves, it has unveiled an innovative interactive label that engages customers and highlights the unique personality of the brand.
Using smart label technology and LED lights, the company has started rolling out limited edition bottles for its Oculto brand that include illuminated labels. To create the illuminate bottle, Anheuser-Busch worked with Inland Packaging. The smart label technology features printed electronic pathways, paper batteries, micro switches and LED lights with a pressure sensitive label design. To illuminate the mask on the label, users simply have to hold the bottle. The pressure sensitive switch is activated by the consumer’s thumb and turns on the LED lights that then shine through the mask.
The label is also connected to the internet. When scanned, the bottle’s label links up with a web application called ‘Relics of the Night’, which lets users interact with the brand and win prizes by uploading photos and playing online and real-world games. The illuminated interactive label is the latest in a series of inventive labels for the Oculto brand.
Other editions featured hidden messages on the back of the label and eyes that appear when the bottle is cold. According to Anheuser-Busch, the Oculto brand stands for mystery, intrigue and seduction. “Oculto’s unique positioning and social nature inspired both the illuminated bottle and the Relics of the Night digital activation to further highlight the personality and social nature of the beer,” said Mallika Monteiro, senior director Oculto at Anheuser-Busch.
The illuminated label and the connection to the ‘Relics of the Night’ interactive app were unveiled at Oculto’s Garden of Hedon masked event in a secret garden, aimed at inspiring individual discovery and exploring the brand personality. The special bottle will be available at selected events in 2016.