Molinari Sambuca launches new contemporary website designed by Appnova to capture the glamour of the cocktail era with a virtual bar experience

 5 January 2012

Fresh design approach reflects vintage appeal of iconic Molinari Sambuca drinks brand and aims for a more youthful audience through digital games and social media

Molinari, the Italian family-owned drinks business, has just launched its new website to coincide with a refresh of the brand in order to attract a new, younger audience.  The website - www.molinari.it – went live towards the end of 2011 in Italian and was followed shortly after in English, German and Spanish.  It has been designed and developed by London web agency Appnova in partnership with Armando Testa.  Appnova set out to design a website that was contemporary, fresh and young whilst building on the company’s heritage as one of Italy’s most respected and long-standing

family businesses.  The website has also been optimized for use with mobiles and to support mobile apps.

Molinari is one of the most high-profile brands in Italy and is probably best known throughout the world for Sambuca, a smooth, rich, full-bodied liqueur that was created in 1945 by Angelo Molinari.  Molinari Sambuca is the only brand permitted by Italian law to use the term ‘Extra’ because of its extra quality, in terms of taste and the drink’s reputation for igniting better than other competitor brands when flamed in the traditional manner.

Anna Ballirano, Marketing Manager at Molinari commented, “Molinari Sambuca is now one of Italy’s most celebrated masterpieces, the best-selling drink in the country, and the most cherished Sambuca in the world.  We wanted our new website to reflect our heritage in a modern, edgy way.  We are delighted with the results of Appnova’s highly creative approach and are confident it will attract a younger clientele as well as appealing to our traditional, loyal customer base.”

The sleek imagery of the new website is minimalist and modern with the use of flash giving it excitement and youthful movement.  At the same time, the modern  contemporary cocktail bar also incorporates vintage elements, to suggest a more glamorous, bygone age.  

When visitors first enter Molinari’s new website, they are invited to enter a cocktail lounge.  By taking part in a host of short, interactive games, visitors earn three passes that enable them to gain full access to the terrace, a VIP area of the bar where special guests enjoy a show and are offered a virtual glass of Extra Molinari.

Once they have picked up their cocktail, explored the company’s history, its iconic products and downloaded the latest recipes, visitors have the opportunity to share their thoughts, favourite cocktails or game results – in fact, their total Molinari experience - with other customers through a variety of social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Jamie Ettedgui, Managing Director of Appnova, concluded; “Our interactive approach, which makes the most of today’s digital technology and social media networking channels, is designed to maximise customer interaction and fully immerse them in the Molinari experience.  We have both the technical and design expertise to deliver what we know works – to provide both an engaging and enjoyable experience for the customer that results in the sales for the brand.” Molinari now has a highly creative, multi-language website that provides the ideal platform for launching other marketing initiatives in the future.

In addition to designing the website, Appnova is supporting Molinari with the company’s ongoing social media strategy.