Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) has announced the launch of its new whisky “ICONiQ White”. The brand has been launched first in ABD MetaBar – the organisation’s presence in the metaverse. The brand will subsequently be launched in the physical world in markets nationally.
ABD India forayed into the metaverse with ABD MetaBar, an immersive virtual reality space providing consumers and enthusiasts with a differentiated experience of product discovery.
Shekhar Ramamurthy, executive deputy chairman, ABD said, “A core belief at ABD is to ‘Think Differently’. The launch of ICONiQ White in ABD MetaBar, ahead of its physical launch, gives consumers an opportunity to immerse with the brand before they experience it in stores. We believe this is the shape of things to come and ABD would like to lead that change.”
Bikram Basu, chief strategy and marketing officer, ABD, said “ICONiQ White is a contemporary whisky for blend, packaging, and positioning. It will appeal to the young adult and plays in an affordable premium segment which has the largest pool of consumers today. We are here with something very special and here to win.”
Sohini Pani, founder and managing director – River, said "Crafting the communication mix for ‘ICONiQ White’ was a delightful experience. It all started with the name. ‘ICONiQ’ is bold and trendy, while ‘White’ is a surprising twist in the world of Whisky. The visual space and the idea pitch the brand as a playful companion for run -loving younger audiences. The icing on the cake was the opportunity for us to build ground-up the ABD Metabar a few months ago and work towards the launch of Iconiq White on th platform."