Corby Distilleries has launched a new website for its Polar Ice vodka label that incorporates Twitter and Facebook to offer “fun seekers” a unique and relevant brand experience.
PolarIce.ca opens to a “socialscape,” based on the users region (west, mid-west, Ontario, Quebec, east, northern Canada). For instance, users registering from B.C. view a landing page that includes the Vancouver skyline, mountains and a totem pole.
Escaping from each scene are user-generated tweets referred to as “echoes” that float above the city. The tweets are “mashed up” from the Polar Ice Twitter account (@mia_at_polarice) and integrated into the site, explained Phil Barrett, vice-president, digital and mobile at B Street Communications, the Toronto based shop that built the site.
Some of the sentiments read: “More Liberty means less government–Walter E. Williams,” “Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not,” and “Beauty is skin deep…but ugly goes all the way to the bone.”
“This allows us to use user-generated content in a fun way without losing control of the brand,” said Barrett. “We can actually integrate, and have fun with it and still keep the brand in check.”
When a user clicks on one of the floating statements, the page expands to include a menu that highlights five of the brand’s attributes: party, vodka, night, ice, and Canadian.
Selecting an attribute filters the stream of echoes to only include statements that contain the specific word selected. Users can also personalize the experience by conducting a Tweet keyword search.
However, the user is reprimanded for entering the name of a competing Vodka label, or using inappropriate language, said Barrett. Echoes reading, “Does your mother know that these filthy words are part of your vocab,” and “Naughty, naughty, naughty,” float across the screen.
The site is aimed at 19-25 “fun seekers”–individuals engaged in social media and early adopters of new technology, said Barrett.
“We wanted to move away from your traditional flash site…and create something more relevant to how people are consuming the media,” he said.
The site also directs users to a Facebook page, which according to Barrett has generated more than 26 million impressions, and has more than 3,600 fans.
According to online Twitter directory WeFollow, Polar Ice’s Twitter profile is currently ranked number seven among users using a “vodka” tag, with just under 1,200 followers.
Barrett said the Twitter page has been ranked as high as number two in the past couple of weeks.
Corby is supporting the site at retail level through neck tags and displays, as well as social media ads on Facebook, but is relying heavily on PR and word of mouth, said Barrett.
“We were looking to create a unique Canadian experience for the brand that would generate word-of-mouth buzz amongst vodka drinkers and needless to say we are really pleased with the results thus far,” added Kelly Kretz, senior brand manager, Corby Distilleries.
The site also houses product information and a recipe section.
