Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches:
- A new Krone sparkling wine released
- an innovative app for mobile brand research launches and
- Mantis Collection updates its destination.
Nectar of the Gods
Krone sparkling wine has added a Demi-sec to its range of Méthode Cap Classiques. The new Krone Night Nectar 2011 is a slightly sweeter version of this classic combination.
Krone is located at Twee JongeGezellen Estate in the town of Tulbagh and has a long tradition of blending the classic Champagne varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
In this instance, the Krone Night Nectar is a sophisticated Cap Classique, bottle-fermented and lees-matured sparkling wine blend, named to mark the once practised Krone tradition of night harvesting.
It is described poetically as having “a creamy, fine mousse with expressive aromas of baked golden apples and almonds…” while “refreshing lemon curd and subtle marzipan flavours linger in the aftertaste…” That description makes me want to eat the label.
Krone Night Nectar 2011 will be available nationally from September at R110 a bottle.
Apt app for mobile research
There is increasing innovation on the mobile front to aid marketers and retailers in consumer research. SA mobile company, Ovatoyou, has launched an app to invite consumers to share their thinking or images with a tap of their mobile – to anyone who asks – and be rewarded for it.
Amanda Reekie identified a gap in the mobile research space for the independent research app that harnesses the instantaneous, every-day, real-time accessibility that comes with owning a smartphone.
The ovatoyou app can be loaded onto an iOS, Android or Blackberry handset, and is an intuitive experience that allows brands to ask users up to 25 open or closed-ended questions or rate an experience on a sliding scale of one to five.
Consumers are incentivised in either cash, vouchers or eWallet cash.
Amanda Reekie, founder of mobile research technology, ovatoyou, says it adds a new dimension to traditional research as brands are now able to ‘see’ what people think. “So for instance, if a FMCG brand wants to know what a family eats for dinner Monday to Friday, an ovatoyou user simply takes a photo of their meal and shares it on the platform. This provides invaluable data in a snapshot.”
The core advantage of a smartphone research app, says Reekie, is that it is quick, instant and affordable. It also allows a panel of consumers who keep the app live on their phones, to share their opinions visually by uploading photographs.
Destination Mantis
The Mantis Collection of luxury and eco-destinations around the world has launched a new website interface to enable booking tracking and other consumer-facing brand extensions.
Mantis is working hard at building its consumer-facing brand and the new website aims to reflect this with the calendar, integrated search function and tracked enquiry form systems. Over the next few months Mantis will be rolling out a booking tracking function too, to make online booking through the Mantis site easier.
Mantis is a family run collection of privately owned, five star properties located around the World, across all seven continents. Its specialist areas include Boutique Hotels, Game Reserves, Eco Lodges, Ski Lodges and Chalets and Boutique Cruises.In 2013, Mantis launched Mantis eXtreme which offers an online collection of authentic, once-in-a-lifetime encounters and experiences worldwide.
Shelf Life is a weekly column by Louise Marsland on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland or email her at louise.marsland at gmail.com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Louise has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 19 of her more-than-25-year career as a former editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing, as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. Until its cancellation, she edited the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper. She is currently the publishing editor of industry trendwatching portal, TRENDAFRiCA,for consumer insight, research and trends in Africa.
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