Challenge

Quality wine is a taste that often comes with preconceptions. Namely, we look for a hefty price tag. Our Live team was tasked by Lidl to create a series of ‘wine tasting in the dark’ events across the UK to help consumers discover that affordable real quality wine does, in fact, exist.

Delivery

Laddering up to Lidl’s ‘Big on a Christmas you can believe in’ campaign, we created a narrative that would not only enhance brand fame, but also showcase Lidl’s wine in an immersive activation that drove quality perception and an increase in sales.

To do so, we transformed pop-up event spaces in three major UK cities; London, Manchester and Glasgow. Guests started in the ‘Discombobulation Chamber’ – a space which scrambled their senses, before moving through to the ‘Cellar Noir’ where the blind wine tasting journey commenced.

Hosted by Lidl’s Master of Wine, guests were served 4 sparkling wines and 4 red wines in total darkness by waiters wearing night vision goggles. The experience culminated in a surprise and delight moment, with each revealed to be listed Lidl wines available for under £10.

Results

This type of experience was a first for any supermarket in the UK, with our Live team designing, building and managing the whole experience. It was named the Institute of Promotional Marketing Bitesize Campaign of the Year in 2019.