Patron Tequila has launched an online community called the "Patrón Social Club," a members-only hub for tequila aficionados at patronsocialclub.com.
After registering to enter the Social Club, members are guided by a
handsome, white suit-wearing concierge who spouts facts about Patrón while
members tour different rooms of the site.
Members are encouraged to "ID" their Patrón bottles by entering the
handwritten numbers on their bottles of tequila to find out the history
of that specific bottle, such as the field in Jalisco, Mexico, where
the agave was grown and the year it was harvested, distilled and
bottled--a way of deepening the connection between consumers and the
brand.
The video concierge also encourages users to participate in the site's robust
community-oriented channels. He also asks questions and comments on your answers. I cannot say that this aspect of the site is unique as it seems like a total carry over from Jack that bartender at thebar.com
"If you could have a different car for every day of the week, which
cars would you have in your garage?" the concierge asks, prompting
members to enter the "Contribute" section of the site and fill in
information about music, food, trips and fashion, and other categories,
for sharing among other Social Club members. There were some groovy postings from obvious new yorkers such as one
about Absolute Bagels in New York City besting more famous H&H
Bagels, are then broadcast as headlines across the site, to which
members can click through.
This type of information sharing both builds community among
Social Club members as well as fosters a sense of insider, exclusive
knowledge about what's hot that Patrón can leverage to learn what
interests its consumers. This approach is smart.
This consumer strategy is spot on because the Patrón drinkers are folks who sip and savor their tequila, the trendsetters; they are active and
knowledgeable about what's happening within their circle of friends,
their community and the world in general. The Patrón Social Club
recognizes and encourages this common bond among the core consumers.
Regarding your comment on the avatar, I have to admit I’ve never been to thebar.com, but after reading your article and checking that site out I thought you might enjoy a quick look under the hood on our thinking:
We chose to use an avatar because we wanted to give the audience ideas and tips on how to interact with the site without a lot of heavy cold instructional copy. In a constant quest to make websites that don’t look like standard websites, the concierge helped lighten our information architecture dramatically reducing stuff on the screen. Overall,we wanted the concierge to enhance the experience, not be the experience.
But most importantly, the Concierge works into the lifestyle and expectations of our audience nicely.
So I apologize for taking your time for something you’ve moved on from, but I thought you might like to get a little feedback or at least know that we’re out here reading.
Thanks,Blinder
Assoc. Creative Director
Click Here / The Richards Group”
I love when people send me in their comments!