Whenever new technology platforms come along, brands will follow, and with Apple’s Vision Pro, Diageo’s Don Julio Tequila aims to utilize its storytelling potential.
Working with developer Trigger XR, the tequila brand aims to utilize special computing to enable users to travel virtually to Mexico to experience the legacy, craft and culture of the spirit. The app experience focuses on four key chapters in the process of making the tequila: harvesting the agave, baking the piñas, distilling the liquid and aging.
Set to release this spring, Don Julio will be the first of its brands to be on the platform. The experience is seen as a new way for Diageo to engage with drink enthusiasts.
“This is a new medium for everyone, brands included. As with everything new, of course there will be learnings, so we’ll be watching closely,” Sophie Kelly, senior vp of global tequila and mezcal categories at Diageo, told Adweek.
The aim is to grow the brand globally. Diageo declined to reveal how it plans to measure the success of the experience, which will be available to those 21 and older.
“Diageo wants to take tequila around the world, and growing the Don Julio Tequila brand is essential to this,” continued Kelly. “The Apple Vision Pro experience allows us to deliver an experience that was once limited to our physical brand homes, visitor centers and physical activations. This allows for wider exposure and access to our award-winning luxury portfolio.”
The app experience was developed alongside Diageo’s global breakthrough team, which was recently formed to further the company’s innovation beyond product development.
“The technology behind Apple Vision Pro is an exciting new frontier that empowers us at Diageo to further our commitments to be cultural disruptors and provide industry-leading experiences for our fans around the world,” said Guy Middleton, global director of Diageo breakthrough innovation at Diageo. “We’re excited to be amongst the first companies to adopt this new technology, enhance the way people discover our brands and help shape the future of immersive storytelling.”
Future iterations are planned to feature guided tastings, mixology demonstrations and experiences that will further celebrate the people and cocktail culture of modern Mexico.
