A personalised Smart Bottle as a giveaway for the Sierre-Zinal race

For its 50th year anniversary, Sierre-Zinal offers each of the 5,800 runners a custom water bottle decorated with digital printing and personalised with their name and an NFC tag. This personalised NFC chip is invisible because it is covered by the digital printing decoration. By scanning the chip, the runner will have access to images and films of his personal race !

What is so special about this personalised Smart Bottle?

As hyper personalisation is trending, it is interesting to bring it to a technological level. This approach not only enhances customer experiences but also provides tangible souvenirs that can be cherished for a long time. The best part is, it’s just a tap away.

First and foremost, customers love having their names on products. It has been a powerful marketing strategy for years. Taking this hyper-personalization to another level through a digital approach goes beyond personalization. Not only does it help marketers understand their customers better, but it also enables them to target them more effectively with ads, messages, and even gamification techniques. As the data sets grow, this personalised approach leads to longer customer journeys and the ability to retarget them in the future. Besides that, the better the user experience the more the customers will talk about and the more they will share your brand.

The advantages are numerous. By incorporating gamification (adding game play elements), you can offer customers a superior user experience and gain insights into how and when they interact with your product. Once you’ve earned their trust, you can introduce upselling opportunities and showcase other products that align with their preferences. The possibilities for personalization are endless. You can even tap into customer loyalty by rewarding frequent purchases with points and providing them with enticing offers.

The launch of the project : how to create a unique product?

The project began in October 2022 with the goal of combining the best elements of Sierre-Zinal into one special item. The organisers of the event understood the importance of not only the race itself but also the gifts given to participants at the finish line.

In previous years, they made sure to provide souvenirs made from local and eco-friendly materials. When the director of Sierre-Zinal approached Univerre for a potential partnership, it became clear that something exceptional needed to be created for the 50th anniversary—a souvenir that would stand the test of time.

Realisation of the projects due to digital printing technology and NFC technology

The production phase began on February 15, 2023. Prior to that, Univerre had been working for weeks to ensure safe and efficient production. The digital printing on glass to create the participants custom glass water bottles could almost begin.

The organisation included the encoding of 5,800 NFC-tags with different URLs to match the names on the bottles with the right video. The printing process had to be synchronised with the tags, and the tags had to be positioned accurately before printing, with a tolerance of 1mm. Lastly, a distribution system for the personalised water bottles was set up based on the race numbers.

Thanks to careful planning and collaboration, the project was successfully realised.

Are you also interested in creating an innovative Smart Bottle project with Univerre?