When one of the world’s most prestigious whisky brands reached out to us, they weren’t looking for another sleek landing page or product catalog. Chivas Regal had a bigger vision. As a brand steeped in tradition but committed to evolution, they wanted to craft a digital experience that would speak to modern consumers—especially younger audiences—with the same richness and sophistication as their blends. Our challenge was clear: create something that would engage, educate, and inspire a new generation of whisky lovers.

At Zarego, we partnered with Chivas Regal to bring that vision to life. The result was The Chivas Experience—an interactive, gamified web platform that transformed whisky education into a social, immersive journey. From backend architecture to front-end design and deployment, we built an experience that not only taught users about Chivas blends, but made them feel like a part of the brand’s story.

The Context: Reinventing Whisky Education for a New Generation

Chivas Regal, founded in 1801 and owned by Pernod Ricard, is a name that resonates across generations. Known for its smooth, balanced Scotch blends, the brand holds a premium spot in the beverage industry. But with the global drinks market becoming increasingly competitive—and younger audiences demanding richer digital experiences—Chivas saw an opportunity.

Their question: how do we deepen brand loyalty in a digital-first world, where traditional product education feels flat and unmemorable?

Chivas had tried various content-driven campaigns in the past, from online courses to educational videos. But these lacked the engagement needed to turn passive viewers into passionate advocates. What they needed was an experience that was not just informative, but transformational—something that users would want to return to, explore further, and share with their peers.

More specifically, they wanted to:

• Educate users on whisky blends, aging, and origins
  
• Make the learning process enjoyable, not academic
  
• Reinforce brand identity through digital innovation
  
• Build a platform that could scale globally and evolve over time
  

That’s where we came in.

The Challenge: More Than a Label

Educating consumers about whisky is no small feat. There’s nuance in everything—from the aging process to regional distinctions, flavor profiles, and brand history. But delivering that nuance through static content or conventional product descriptions often misses the mark. The average user doesn’t want to read through a wall of text or watch a 20-minute video. They want interactivity. They want exploration. They want to feel rewarded for their attention.

From a technical standpoint, this meant designing a platform that could balance:

• Rich, dynamic content
  
• Gamified interactions
  
• Scalable infrastructure
  
• Personalized experiences
  

The broader challenge? Maintaining the sophistication of the Chivas brand while making the content approachable and fun. Whisky isn’t a mobile game. Yet the mechanics of engagement—rewards, progress tracking, challenges—were key to keeping users interested.

Our Approach: Blending Brand Heritage with Gamification

We kicked off the project with a discovery phase that brought together our product strategists, designers, and engineers with the Chivas and Pernod Ricard teams. Our goal was to get to the heart of what the brand stood for, and how we could translate that into a user journey that felt exciting yet authentic.

Discovery and Design Thinking

We started by mapping user personas. Were we speaking to whisky connoisseurs? Curious newcomers? Social drinkers? As it turned out, the platform needed to appeal to all of them. That meant creating a progressive learning curve—something that offered depth for the experts but didn’t overwhelm first-timers.

Our UX team developed wireframes and interaction flows centered around exploration. We envisioned a journey that users could embark on—unlocking achievements, learning about blends, and personalizing their own whisky taste profile.

The Gamified Experience

Gamification was at the core of the solution. We designed a system that included:

• Challenges and Quizzes: Short, engaging questions about Chivas blends, ingredients, and history.
  
• Badges and Rewards: Users earned badges for completing modules and could track their progress toward becoming a “Master Blender.”
  
• Taste Profile Customization: A guided module let users select their preferences and get personalized recommendations.
  
• Social Sharing Features: Users could invite friends or share their achievements, turning private exploration into a social game.
  

These features weren’t just cosmetic—they created a sense of momentum. Every interaction served a purpose: to keep users learning, coming back, and forming a deeper bond with the brand.

Technical Implementation

The build was as ambitious as the design. We focused on performance, scalability, and security from day one.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: A responsive web application built with modern JavaScript frameworks to deliver a seamless experience across devices, optimized primarily for desktop interaction.
  
• Backend Services: Custom APIs supported user data, quiz logic, badge management, and content delivery.
  
• Infrastructure: Deployed on AWS, leveraging scalable cloud resources and global content delivery networks.
  
• Monitoring & DevOps: Real-time monitoring tools ensured uptime, performance tracking, and fast iteration for future updates.
  

All content and user behavior data was anonymized and stored securely, ensuring compliance with global data privacy standards.

What We Delivered: The Chivas Experience

The final platform, titled The Chivas Experience, was more than a marketing tool—it was a digital environment that brought the brand to life.

Key Features

• A visually rich, brand-aligned interface
  
• Quiz-based learning modules with progressive difficulty
  
• Personalized journey based on user preferences
  
• Reward system and progress dashboard
  
• Scalable architecture for global access
  
• Built-in analytics for user engagement tracking
  

Whether users wanted to brush up on whisky basics or challenge themselves to blend knowledge, the platform gave them options. It turned information into interaction—and in doing so, made the brand feel closer and more human.

As Adriel Labbé, Marketing Director at Pernod Ricard, put it:

“We created The Chivas Experience with the goal of continuing to transform the world of whisky, adding value through experiences and technological innovation.”

The Impact: Numbers, Insights, and a Community

What began as an idea for a brand activation turned into a strategic engagement platform. The metrics speak volumes:

• +17% Global Sales Growth
  The app was a major contributor to renewed interest in key markets, acting as a soft funnel for brand preference.
  
• 2nd Place Regional Sales Position
  In competitive regional markets, the app helped boost Chivas above major competitors in consumer mindshare.
  
• +34% Growth in Latin America
  The gamified format resonated particularly well in this region, where digital engagement rates were already high.
  

Beyond sales, the app achieved what many digital campaigns struggle to do: it built a community. Users weren’t just learning—they were sharing, competing, and forming micro-communities around their progress. Many completed all modules and actively recruited friends to join. Some even contacted Chivas directly to suggest new features or content ideas. That level of voluntary participation is the gold standard of digital engagement.

What We Learned: Design for Curiosity, Build for Growth

Projects like this are reminders of why we love what we do. They push us to blur the line between brand and experience, between education and entertainment.

Here are a few lessons we took with us:

• Gamification is powerful—but only when aligned with the brand.
  It’s easy to add points and badges. It’s harder to build a system that enhances the brand story instead of distracting from it. For Chivas, we ensured every interaction reinforced the idea of mastery, discovery, and sophistication.
  
• Don’t underestimate performance and scale.
  A beautiful UI means nothing if it lags or crashes. We engineered for global traffic and high engagement rates, using AWS and best-practice DevOps from the start.
  
• Content is still king—but context is the throne.
  Chivas had incredible stories to tell. Our job was to give them the right container, one that invited exploration and rewarded curiosity.
  

Let’s Talk

If you’re looking to turn content into experiences—or brand heritage into lasting engagement—we’d love to help.

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