Digitally printed decoration creates immersive brand experience
Bacardi rum has selected O-I : EXPRESSIONS, O-I’s bottle customisation service enabled by digital printing, to create a limited edition bottle. The brand’s Caribbean spirit is the heart of the promotion, starting with the bottle’s graphic design.
On the shelf, the bottle stands out through its 360°, full colour print of palm leaves and tropical flowers. Through the selective application of design elements in O-I : EXPRESSIONS RELIEF, a tactile effect was added to the Bacardi bat motif and the brand name, along with selected leaves and flowers.
An innovative augmented reality experience and a Snapchat lens can be unlocked via the Snapcode on the bottle. This is a first for the brand, with the exclusive Snapcode featuring on the Carta Blanca rum bottle launching in eight markets in 2020.
Replacing the sleeve with direct-to-bottle digital printing, using organic inks, improves the environmental footprint of the product and reduces its use of plastic.
The limited edition launched on 1 July in Austria, Italy and Denmark. A second wave for Germany, Ireland, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia follows later this year to capitalise on the vital pre-Christmas sales period.
Simone Kockelmann, Customer Marketing Manager at Bacardi Europe commented: “Consumers are looking for personalised brand experiences. The digitally printed bottle, together with our AR experience and the Snapchat lens, transport the user to the homeland of Bacardi, the shores of the Caribbean. We previously used sleeves for our limited edition bottles but O-I : EXPRESSIONS gives a much improved look and feel to the packaging and is a more sustainable alternative.”
