Diageo unveils Johnnie Walker ‘smart bottle’

Diageo has partnered with a leading electronics company to develop a Johnnie Walker Blue Label “smart bottle” that uses sensor tags to assure customers of the bottle’s authenticity.

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label “smart bottle” will be unveiled next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

Designed in partnership with Thin Film Electronics ASA, the new bottle has the ability to use finger sensor tags using the firm’s OpenSense technology that can detect whether a bottle is sealed or opened with the tap of a smartphone.

This will then allow Diageo to send personalised “targeted and timely” communications to consumers who read the labels with their smartphones.

“Mobile technology is chancing the way we live, and as a consumer brands company we want to embrace its power to deliver amazing new consumer experiences in the future,” said Helen Michels, global innovation director, future teams at Diageo.

“We constantly experiment with the latest cutting edge technologies to enrich and enhance the experiences delivered by our iconic brands.

“Our collaboration with Thinfilm allows us to explore all the amazing new possibilities enabled by smart bottles for consumers, retailers and our own business, and it sets the bar for technology innovation in the drinks industry.”

Furthermore, the technology will enable the drinks firm to follow bottle movements through the supply chain, in stores and up to the point of consumer consumption.

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label prototype will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.