Experiential Marketing

A 5-course wine dinner revolution at Marriott Hotels Thailand

Intro

According to a recent study by Event Marketing Institute, 70% of consumers become repeat customers after an experiential marketing event. To tap into this opportunity Pernod Ricard Thailand partnered with Marriot Hotel in Bangkok. The partnership was a win-win since Pernod Ricard got the chance to list its wine portfolio at a premium venue and build advocacy through interactive wine experience there. Marriott, on the other hand, got to entertain their loyal guests in a novel way and develop engaging content for their social media.

My Role

Back then, I was based in Bangkok and participatory marketing was a large part of my role. In this particular case, my task was to create an experience that would transcend language barriers, appeal to an audience of various wine knowledge, and offer something different than the traditional 5-course wine dinner. After exploring several options, I settled on an idea that engaged the wine drinkers through four human senses: sight, smell, hearing, and taste.

The Experience

The interactive wine experience was called “Instaroma” and provided a playful environment for anyone who wished to learn more about wine during a course of an organized wine dinner. As you entered the dining space, you were welcomed with a refreshing wine cocktail and introduced to the format of the event. As you walked further, a knowledgeable wine ambassador greeted you at the wine aroma station. There you were encouraged to explore a number of wine infusions that represented such common wine aroma descriptors as oaky, herbal, citrusy and so forth.

Continue

As you sat down at the dinner table, there was a mini aroma station representing the wines on the menu. You were encouraged to explore the marriage between wine and food on your own or satisfy your curiosity with the help of the Wine Ambassador. By the end of the experience, you were able to dissect the complex aromas in wine, tell whether the wine came from cold or hot climate, depending on the aromas, and explain how food can influence our perception of wine flavours.

Results

Experiential marketing is my secret passion. Thus, I was delighted to hear extremely positive feedback on “Instaroma” from Marriott Comms team, media who attended the event as well as consumer who claimed to “finally get the aromas in wine” for the first time in their lives. The concept was later endorsed by Pernod Ricard Global Marketing team and replicated in 3 other APAC markets following an event toolkit I designed and shared with the greater team.