Overview
Every year, Hendrick’s released a printed on-trade menu to help bars showcase their signature serves. But after years of the same approach, the format felt predictable – another piece of paper in a crowded space.
Hendrick’s needed a way to bring its curious world to life, transforming a routine marketing asset into something that would actually make people stop, look, and play.
Insight
In a bar setting, attention is earned through experience, not information. Guests are more likely to engage with something tactile, visual, or surprising than a list of drinks.
We realised that to capture their imagination, the solution had to sit where the action happens, right on the table, and feel so unexpected it sparked curiosity before the first sip.
Strategy
Our approach was simple: reimagine the ordinary. Instead of creating another flat menu, we’d take an everyday object already in everyone’s hands, the humble coaster, and use it to pull people into the Hendrick’s universe.
The goal was to make the brand’s signature serves not just visible, but experiential: a blend of storytelling, interactivity, and brand magic.
Idea
We transformed Hendrick’s coasters into scannable AR experiences. Once scanned, five signature serves appeared floating above the coaster in Hendrick’s unmistakably surreal style, complete with playful animations and intricate detail.
Guests could rotate to explore, snap their pick, and show the bartender to order. No app downloads, no QR clutter, just a seamless moment of digital wonder brought to life in the palm of their hand.
Results
What began as a small piece of bar collateral became a shareable brand moment. The AR coasters turned tables into touchpoints for discovery, giving guests a reason to engage, post, and play.
For Hendrick’s, it was proof that even the most traditional marketing assets can be reimagined, turning an everyday coaster into an extraordinary experience that was as distinctive as the gin itself.
