Category
CX
Year
2024
Welcome to the Johnnie Walker Sky Lounge
Have you ever walked into a store, felt overwhelmed by too many choices, and left without buying anything? Johnnie Walker faced this challenge in their airport stores and approached us to create an innovative campaign to help overcome it. They wanted to guide shoppers by taking them on a journey of discovering their perfect Johnnie Walker flavour through a fun and easy-to-use interactive experience. Keep reading to learn how we built this campaign, but don’t forget your boarding pass!
The challenge
Johnnie Walker’s challenge was that shoppers found it confusing and overwhelming to shop for whisky due to the vast range of choices. The goal of this project was to educate travelers on the different flavours of Johnnie Walker and our solution was to create an interactive tool that allows users to compare different whiskies, learn about each label’s unique flavour, and discover possible cocktails. The result is an application that simplifies the process of finding the perfect Johnnie Walker, making it easier for travelers to make a purchase.
Building an application with a modular setup for unique applications at each location, accommodating travel retail limitations, supporting multiple languages, and integrating with Johnnie Walker’s travel retail platform while delivering high-quality renders and animated elements was a significant challenge. Ultimately, the client was very pleased with our approach and the technical solutions we implemented to make this a reality.
Our process
Like any other project, we leaned into our trusted process to guide us. We started with moodboarding to establish the look and feel, then moved on to storyboarding and defining the user journey. Our team created the 3D environment, designed the UX and UI, and developed the animations. Finally, we built the application and the backend, allowing the client to easily configure texts, bottles, and languages for each location, making the experience unique to each airport.
Travel to the clouds
By using photorealistic renders we were able to create an experience that isn’t just attractive for the user but also for travelers walking past the store, increasing footfall. The user is enticed by the “Enter the Johnnie Walker Sky Lounge” CTA and they see a closed door that slightly opens every few seconds, giving them a sneak peek into the Sky Lounge. After interacting with the touchscreen, an animation starts and the user enters the experience.
We designed the Sky Lounge based on Johnnie Walker’s different bars and stores from around the world. Our goal was to give travelers the feeling that they’re in a luxury lounge high up in the clouds, relating to the airport location.
Old Fashioned or Manhattan?
In the middle of the airplane is a bar that displays all the whiskies available in the store and highlights the Limited Time Offers (LTOs). By selecting one of the bottles the user is transported to the top-down view, where they can learn more about that whisky.
During the top-down view, the bar top doubles as a display. This setup allowed us to place the bottles on the bar while showing the necessary information, seamlessly integrating the UI into the environment. We wanted to give the users a quick and snappy experience to maximize the usefulness of the app, which is why we used animations to emphasize relevant information. The compare screen allows users to quickly examine different bottles, helping them make the right choice.
Dynamic styling
Johnnie Walker uses distinct branding styles for their two ranges: Premium and Luxury. To reflect this, we designed the Premium application in the Black Label style and the Luxury application in the Blue Label style. The UI of each experience is dynamic and adjusts according to the chosen style. This allows the client to select the appropriate application based on the specific branding of each airport store.
Keep walking
This project marks the first interactive experience for digital signage solutions from Johnnie Walker, setting a new standard for duty-free shops. We addressed the challenge of overwhelming choices with an engaging, educational tool that helps travelers discover their perfect Johnnie Walker flavor. The modular application supports unique setups for each location and integrates seamlessly with Johnnie Walker’s digital signage platform. Through photorealistic renders, dynamic styling, and an intuitive interface, we’ve made the whisky shopping experience enjoyable and easy, enhancing the overall experience for travelers worldwide.
