Janoschka magazine Linked_V8_2023

22 i n s i g h t s
issue #8 ©
l i n k e d
23
19 CRIMES
What they are listening to is the story of a crime
committed in the nineteenth century told from the
point of view of the offender who was deported
to Australia as a punishment. Had the convict set
fire to the brushwood? Cut up or burned clothes?
Secretly got married? Indulged in bigamy? Or simply
impersonated an Egyptian? In Great Britain and
Ireland, a total of nineteen different offences could
get you put on a ship for Downunder. In most cases,
it was a one-way trip.
The Australian wine label Treasury Wine Estates
has recalled this dark chapter in Australian history
with a series of wines. And their labels literally
speak to you even before you have done justice to
the contents. The labels bear the image of a convict
from that era and bring the person to life using augmented
reality. If you download the free app and
hold your smartphone to the different labels, you
will hear stories about prisoners who had to do time
in the British penal colony.
One of the stories is that of
Jane Castings from Leicester,
England, whose photo adorns
the Chardonnay bottle. A mother
of four children, she was
convicted for receiving stolen
goods in 1846. She had accepted
items like “cheese and
bacon, knowing them to be
stolen.” She had also trained a
group of teenagers to do the job
and paid them to steal goods.
Jane had to leave her husband
and children behind and was
transported on board the Sea
Queen to Van Diemen’s Land
(Tasmania) where she spent
seven years.
John Boyle O’Reilly, Michael
Harrington, James Wilson and
Cornelius Dwyer Kane also get
to tell their stories. Theirs are all
true accounts backed up with
photographs – a rarity on wine
labels – showing the patina of a
past era. The 19 Crimes labels
cleverly combine history with a
pinch of fiction and good marketing.
It’s a complete concept
that targets social drinkers with
cuvées made from grapes like
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and
Pinot Noir. The idea has certainly
paid off: Treasury Wine Estates
has seen sales rise 60 per cent.
To strike the iron while it’s hot, the label has lined up
the law-breakers of times gone by, who have since
become folk heroes, alongside icons from modern
pop culture. Rap, sex, grass and trouble at airports
are, of course, not among the 19 Crimes; nor are
participation in benefit events or having a passion
for wine. Nevertheless, the American rapper Snoop
Dogg features on one of the wines and tells his own
story on the “Snoop Cali Red” label.
This very clever advertising strategy went viral on
YouTube and soon captivated whole communities of
wine lovers. An excellent example of how new technology
can be used to market traditional products and
add something novel to wine shelves in the process,
causing nothing short of a sensation.
Meet the darker side
Alongside Snoop Dogg, the luminous
skeleton of the Halloween limited
edition is a further “highlight”.
Consumers are in direct contact with the brand via augmented
reality or “near field communication” – interaction that enhances
the customer experience and promotes brand loyalty.