or most people, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colourful imagination; a release from care, boredom and worry, and a feeling that life is good.
fund manager Grant Ashton, it was designed to give obsessives the opportunity to drink and share the finest wines available to humanity. Rather than being locked away in individual cellars around the world, the club – like a museum – provided a place where a vast selection of exquisite wines could be surveyed and sampled (and secured – 67 Pall Mall is housed in an old bank building with collections stored in the vault). The exclusive venue also makes these wines available by the glass using Coravin technology, which allows single, limited samples to be dispensed from a bottle. 67 Pall Mall is known for its events, with not only wine tastings, but talks and discussions with some of the world’s foremost experts and collectors – often in collaboration with other fine-dining institutions. “During lockdown, the club dealt with the big challenge everyone was facing,” recalls Yasmine Taherbeigi, 67 Pall Mall’s digital marketing and CRM
But then, the pandemic. Pub crawlers were reduced to pacing the kitchen floor, the after-work gab session became people drinking at their computers, staring at their tipsy colleagues on Zoom. At 67 Pall Mall, a members-only club in London, “founded by wine lovers for wine lovers”, the lights went off – but not for long. 67 Pall Mall boasts one of Europe’s largest collections of wines by the glass, and one of its finest wine lists. Founded by former banker and hedge
Sam Jones is a digital entrepreneur whose long experience of living and working in Asia convinced him that short video was the future of e-commerce. “In the past five years, there’s been an explosion in China of short video and live video platforms. I got to know the team who founded TikTok, who also worked on a platform called Musically, and paid close attention to how short video was not only entertainment in China, but also moving into commerce. With a mobile phone, people were able to record from their shops, design studios, fish markets and vineyards – to broadcast their products, but also sell them.” Jones’ goal is to make the video experience totally shoppable. Last year, he got together with Eric Zhang, one of the founders of Musically, and launched a new app-based start-up OOOOO (five Os, not five zeros). OOOOO is a mobile entertainment commerce platform designed to let anyone broadcast live short videos from anywhere – and to load products on the back end. The goal, says Jones, is to converge content with commerce and community, using live, interactive, shoppable videos. OOOOO has 24 employees operating out of Shanghai and Oxford, UK. OOOOO, BABY!
Since its launch at the end of 2020, with an initial focus on fashion and beauty products – and partnerships with brands like JD Sports, Boohoo Group and I Saw It First – the OOOOO app has 300,000 installs. The company’s latest step is a move from dressing up to going out. This summer, OOOOO Drinks launched, connecting beverage lovers to companies and brands. The new channel will offer content around events, on-location premium experiences, studio shows and manufacturer- generated content. It is an opportunity for suppliers and smaller producers, like vineyards, breweries and distilleries, to reach a wider market, tell their story and interact with viewers. EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT The head of OOOOO Drinks is Karen Hardwick, WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) educator of the year. “Throughout my career in drinks,” says Hardwick, “I have sought for producers to tell stories in different ways – tastings, labels, shelf barkers, magazine ads. OOOOO bridges the communication gap: the best person to tell your story is you.”
“In China, they’re four or five years ahead when it comes to mobile,” says Jones, “especially live streaming applications. The best thing about live commerce is a conversion rate that’s much higher than traditional commerce. But we’re focused on short videos, too. Our strategy is for users to make live content, and reuse it in short forms, living there 24/7.” Also owning the domains drinks.tv and cook.tv, OOOOO is eyeing the food and fine dining space, and Jones wants to add a food channel to the app. “You could say we’re kind of the QVC for the TikTok generation.”
IN CHINA, THEY’RE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AHEAD WHEN IT COMES TOMOBILE
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