Treasury Wine Estates is running a consumer-facing selection activation in global travel retail for its flagship Penfolds brand.
‘Digital Sommelier’ is based on a questionnaire that bases a subsequent Penfolds recommendations on the consumer’s palate, occasion and budget. The GTR-exclusive programme, which has been piloted at a pop-up site at ‘T Galleria by DFS’ in Macau, runs in English and Mandarin and features pages for 34 Penfolds varietals from the Cellar Reserve, Superblend and Grange ranges.
“By giving our consumers personalised wine recommendations, we aim to help travellers find their Penfolds match … and have some fun at the same time,” said Penfolds’ GTR global marketing manager, Lina Lim. “We look forward to sharing the Penfolds Digital Sommelier with more travellers around the world this year as we introduce the concept in new strategic locations with key partners.”
During its research, Treasury identified two traveller profiles: the ‘New Luxurian’, who “is motivated by immersive experiences and unique gifting options”, and the ‘Connoisseur,’ who “possesses a high knowledge of wines, buying them mainly for gifting, collection or cellaring”.
The brand owner also noted the environmental benefits from its use of a 24″ interactive screen, which has reduced the need for printing and shipping related sales materials.
The concept will move to the departures area at Melbourne Airport in Australia later this year.
Last month, Treasury confirmed the commencement of a review of the ‘Treasury Premium Brands’ division, which operates separately to Penfolds and handles the lower-value wines in its portfolio outside of the US.
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