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You know what’s sexier than an exclusive, underground society for alcohol aficionados?
An exclusive, underground society for alcohol aficionados that’s smart enough to realize that technology is the perfect mixer for bleeding-edge cocktails.
That’s the secret behind Liquor Lab, a Chicago-based agency for alcoholic beverage companies that wants to leverage digital marketing to escort the liquor industry’s standard advertising strategy out of antiquity.
“The liquor industry has been doing the same thing since Prohibition ended,” said Owen Meyer, President of Liquor Lab. “There’s no innovation.”
Instead of hiring women to walk around bars with promotional shots, Meyer wants to see that money reallocated toward digital marketing campaigns in a way that hasn’t yet been fully employed.
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Meyer’s tech-enabled solution works like this: when you log into Wi-Fi at a participating location, bar goers will get hit with a Wi-Fi gateway, prompting them to sign in with Facebook. Liquor Lab’s deal page then highlights any drink promotions the bar is running that night—which are easily redeemable with a server or bartender.
The deals are personally curated based on data (like age, sex, location, and time of login) that the bootstrapped company collects in real time through Facebook. So, consumers will see deals for whatever drinks are most popular within their demographic, based on the company’s metrics. When a 22-year-old girl at a club might see, say, a cosmopolitan, a 50-year-old man at a sports bar might see a beer-bucket special.
“We’re not in the business of advertising,” Meyer said. “We’re in the business of digital enhancement."
According to Meyer, Liquor Lab’s portal arms bartenders with a new tool to drive sell-through or completions of their products by influencing buyers directly at the point of purchase. What’s more, bars can completely customize the portal’s aesthetic.
In addition, the agency gives that data to suppliers, providing hyper-local insight into Chicago’s drinking scene.
“Not only are you bringing value to the consumer and to the account, but you’re also counting incredibly valuable data for a consumer insights team,” said Meyer. “More often than not, they just don’t have much reliable on-premise data.”
When the platfrom goes live, the agency will operate with three restaurant groups and 16 other bars, located mostly in Downtown and Wicker Park, according to Meyer.
Besides establishing a presence in bars across the city, Liquor Labs also hosts a number of member-only events like mixology classes, bartender roundtables, and cocktail expos. These events are powered by data-driven technology and provide insight to Chicago’s every-evolving alcohol palate.
“We knew spicy cocktails were going to be a thing nine months before they ever showed up on a menu,” he said. “Through our events and digital marketing platform, bartenders can be creative and innovative and ultimately leverage our data to trial run popular drinks before they become the next Fireball.”
Launched last October, Liquor Labs is gaining momentum fast. They already have four full-time employees and work with some of the most recognizable suppliers in the beer, wine, and spirit industry.
By the beginning of 2016, the company plans to launch in New York.
“Our number one goal,” Meyer said, “is to bring value to bartenders, customers, and suppliers. With that comes a lot of cool things we get to play with along the way.”
Check out their kickstarter campaign here.
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