What Pairs Well With Augmented Reality?....Wine! And Learning! 

19 Crimes Wine is the Latest Example of How AR Can Increase Engagement and Sales

What do exiled British convicts, zombies, and a soft red blend with vanilla aromatics and hints of cedary spice have in common? 

If you guessed the color red...well, point to you. The answer is...augmented reality! It all starts (as some of the best things do) with wine.

Australian winemakers, “19 Crimes” based their brand on the stories of British criminals sent to Australia. Named for the nineteen violations that could get a convict sent to the penal colony, the wine company wanted to tell the stories of the licentious founders of modern Australia. Literally. Each wine bottle’s label shows a mugshot of a convict sent to the penal colonies in Australia. By downloading the free Living Wine Labels app and holding your smartphone to the label, you can hear the man or woman tell their own story through augmented reality. John O’Riley comes to life to tell his tale of falling in love in exile and Jane Castings details her time as a queen of thieves on the streets of England. The winemakers hope to expand the capabilities of their AR labels by including more details about the wine’s flavor profile, the history of Australia as a penal colony, ideal meal pairings, and more to engage the customer’s mind and taste buds.

The success of this fun and educational AR experience indicates a consumer base with a clear desire to learn in dynamic ways. The ability to engage with this product through an entertaining and informative digital platform has resulted in a demonstrable increase in 19 Crimes’ value. Forbes notes that since the implementation of the AR feature on 19 Crimes’ wine labels, the company saw a 60% increase in volume sales and 70% increase in value. That’s a lot of wine (and history!). Most recently, the app has taken its 19 Crimes success into the world of The Walking Dead. Check out the zombie-inspired wine labels come to life below,...if you dare!

No wine was harmed in the making of this AR

The 19 Crimes wine label doesn’t stop at demonstrating the capacity for AR to educate--the success of this digital experience epitomizes the growing interest and popularity of augmented reality in a consumer’s day-to-day life. Using augmented reality as an educational tool can excite interest and enthusiasm for a subject, inspire users to learn more, and invest capital on the enrichment as well as the product. Which makes AR the perfect tool to enhance a visitor’s time at a zoo, museum, or cultural institution! For an example, look no further than the Battleship IOWA Museum gift shop. Visitors to Battleship IOWA  can use the Guru-powered Battleship IOWA app and a souvenir mug to trigger an augmented reality experience. Visitors point their mobile device at the mug and a  three-dimensional model of the ship appears. After the launch of the AR-enabled mug, sales of the mug increased 150%. By incorporating augmented reality and education, the USS Iowa encouraged users to enjoy the experience of the museum in a whole new way and bring that digital experience home with them. Whether you’re drinking with mugshots of historical criminals, zombie hordes, or esteemed battleships, there’s no question that AR can enhance any kind of beverage or museum experience. We can toast to that!

Disclaimer: Yacht and Leonardo Dicaprio sold separately

Want to see the Guru-powered USS Iowa AR mug in action? Just follow the directions below!

1) Download the USS Iowa app in the Apple or Android stores.

2) Tap “Augmented Reality” at the bottom right of the app’s menu

3) Scroll down and select “Augmented Reality: USS Iowa Mug”, then point your phone at the image below for a full view of the battleship (don’t forget to allow the app to access your camera function!)