Diageo acquires Vivanda
By Abimbola Mohammed
Diageo announced that it has acquired Vivanda, owner of the FlavorPrint artificial intelligence technology behind several Diageo projects, aiming to match consumers with the right Diageo-owned alcoholic product.
Diageo has used Vivanda’s system since 2019 in the former’s “What’s Your Whisky” platform and more recently in the Journey of Flavour experience at a Johnnie Walker sampling location.
According to Diageo, the acquisition will enable its company to expand FlavorPrint technology to other categories. “And it will support the continued development of our advanced analytics and digital marketing capabilities, providing a deeper understanding of consumer taste preferences and helping to unlock further opportunities in innovation and personalised consumer experiences.”
Launched in 2019, “What’s Your Whisky” has been rolled out across 21 markets and is available in 16 languages. It has been integrated into the physical stores and e-commerce platforms of a number of Diageo’s key customers in Europe and North America, as well as across direct-to-consumer channels such as malts.com to enable purchase recommendations.
The Journey of Flavour experience at Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh tailors the drinks that visitors sample during their 90-minute tour to their palates. There are more than 800 flavor combinations available in a dispensing system.
Vivanda’s team will join Diageo and its founders, CEO, Oli Fuchs, and CTO, Matt Corish, will provide ongoing consultancy services to continue building on the success of the FlavorPrint technology.
According to Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo, a comment said: “We know consumers are looking for more personalised, interactive experiences and that they are increasingly engaging with our brands digitally as well as in person. We’re delighted to welcome Vivanda to Diageo and we are looking forward to working together to connect with consumers in more innovative ways that help shape the future of how we socialise in person and virtually.”
Oli Fuchs, Co-founder and CEO, Vivanda, also said: “We are very excited to join Diageo. Vivanda set out to create innovative technology which connects consumers with products through sensory insight. We are proud of the excellent engagement we have received from consumers and are looking forward to connecting millions more people with their new favourite beverage and creating the digital standard for taste.”
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