Deepening consumer engagement through sensory experience

ORACLE Experience recently activated an interactive platform for consumers to have firsthand experience about the newly introduced Strongbow Apple Ciders from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc. It was an unusual four days of extraordinary experience at the parking lot of Ikeja City Mall, venue of the unveiling of the premium apple cider.

The launch came with a novelty, as guests were made to embark on an exploratory journey simulating the step-by-step process of making Strongbow Apple Ciders. The journey began right from when the apples – the central ingredient of the cider – are harvested through to the production process, which gives birth to the crisp tasting and refreshing Strongbow Apple Cider. All these were achieved through a multi-sensory experience process that enabled attendees’ senses to be awakened.

The experience centre, a replica apple farm and fermentation factory, further attested to the creative ingenuity of Oracle, the activation agency behind most of the innovative ideas from the company in recent time.

In an interview, Chief Executive Officer, Oracle Experience Limited, Mr. Felix King Eiremiokhae, said the brand wanted to tell her story in a unique and memorable way through real experience. He described brand experience as the ability to awaken human senses.

“What the team did with the Strongbow project was to give consumers the total sensory experience about the new product. We wanted to tap into the senses of the consumers and use them tell the real story of how the product is made.

“We believe the consumers deserve the best, we believe the client whose story we tell deserves the best. When you want to introduce a new product into the market, the level of feasibility is very important. In most cases, consumers are bombarded with outdoor and print materials but how many do they remember because the roads are over clustered. So we thought of creating a special platform and create conversation around it. We did a quick research and we thought of bringing in consumers to touch, feel and taste. That is why we made consumers hold apple and went through the process.”

Speaking about the involvement of his agency in the media lunch, Eiremiokhae said what Nigerian Breweries did through his agency was to take the message to stakeholders and consumers through a practical presentation to tell them all that they need to know about the new product.

“With the experience and the conversation it has generated among consumers, Nigerian Breweries have established a new way of introducing a new product as more consumers will be tempted to have the feel.
 
According to the company, Strongbow Apple Ciders is made from real apples; it offers a balanced, crisp apple taste that captures the sweet notes of the golden delicious apple. To make it appeal to consumers, the product is attractively designed in an embossed 33cl transparent bottle.

Introducing the drink at the launch, Senior Brand Manager, Strongbow, Ngozi Nkwoji, described Strongbow Apple Ciders as “a premium alcoholic cider that is globally popular, which Nigerians will love, especially those who want to try something new. With its grand entry into Nigeria’s beverage market recently, it is now a given that Strongbow Apple Cider has carved for itself a unique niche in Nigeria just as it has continued to do in the global cider industry”.