Masterpiece in wine

Wine consumption in Latin America doesn't compare with the levels consumed in France and Italy, where the population quaffs its way through 57 and 50 litres respectively. However, a number of countries have a wine producing heritage, and the local population are beginning to take notice of it. In Colombia, wine consumption per capita has increased 23% (2006 to 2009), and many neighbouring countries in the region have also seen a growth in the market.

Back in 2009, Bodega Navarro Correas (BNC) launched 'Arte por dentro y por fuera' (Art inside and outside). Running across the Latin American region, the idea of this campaign was that if BNC created the art inside the bottle, then artists should have the chance to add their own creations to outside the bottle. Localised for each market, this saw a number creative applications in retail and on-trade environments, as amateur and professional artists were invited to contribute to the creative project.

Painting a picture - with your mobile

click to enlarge

In the most recent expression of 'Arte por dentro y por fuera' in Colombia, the campaign moved outdoors with an interactive work of art which allowed people to 'paint' a picture using the SMS functionality on their mobiles.

An automated robotic mechanism was mounted on the back of the billboard structure made up of 1000 clear plastic cells. Participants could order a cell to be filled with one of six different shades of wine by sending a text message. The robot would respond to the SMS by filling a cell with a certain hue of wine.

The end result produced a giant portrait of Van Gogh, building a masterpiece or art with a masterpiece of wine

Why is this on Cream? Wine labels are similar to luxury brands in that as a group, they have been collectively resistant to marketing innovation, believing that the quality of the product is good enough marketing in itself. This interactive billboard and the wider art project it comes from is a beautiful idea supported by a clever use of SMS technology.