Coronado Brewing Co. Uses Coasters with Thinfilm's Technology to Boost Website Conversions

Innovative 'Smart' Coasters Increase Web Conversions up to 17.5 Times as Part of New Product Launch  
                 

OSLO, Norway, and San Diego, CA, June 14, 2017 - Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm") (OSE: THIN), a global leader in NFC (near field communication) mobile marketing and smart product solutions, kicked off a collaboration with Coronado Brewing Co. by distributing innovative coasters that engaged the craft brewer's consumers with the simple tap of a smartphone.

The coasters were part of a product launch for a new beer, CoastWise Session IPA, and drove website conversions 17.5 times more than the craft brewer's other marketing channels.

"Competing for the attention of craft beer drinkers is intense," said Brandon Richards, COO, Coronado Brewing Co. "Getting people to hear your brand story without interference is even harder."

Coronado Brewing Co. is one of San Diego County's first craft breweries. Founded in 1996, it has three locations in San Diego County and sells its West Coast-style ales and lagers in 16 states. Competition with both macro and craft beer brands prompted Coronado Brewing Co. to seek a more experiential marketing solution to differentiate itself in a sea of new SKUs, grab beer drinkers' attention, and get those consumers engaged with the brand.   

Coronado Brewing Co. chose Thinfilm for its label/packaging integration services, cloud-based management, analytics, and ease of implementation.

Thinfilm embeds NFC technology in packaging, labels, and merchandise product tags within a range of consumer-focused verticals, from wine, spirits and craft beer to cosmetics and clothing. Consumers tap the products with their smartphones and then see a customized landing page, video or other digital asset provided by the brand. The brand can view the consumer's performance data in real-time, accessible through a single system.

"Any physical product can be turned into a channel at any point in time," said Davor Sutija, Thinfilm CEO. "Thinfilm's integrated mobile marketing solution empowers brands to own and manage the communication no matter where the consumer is, whether in the store, at the bar, or in the home."

The 'smart' coasters, which were distributed at Coronado Brewing Co. locations exclusively, featured Thinfilm SpeedTap(TM) tags. The unique NFC technology allowed consumers to tap the coasters with their phones and see a customized landing page describing the new CoastWise Session IPA.

By deploying the coasters, Coronado Brewing Co. saw a significant increase in consumer engagement, particularly compared to click-through rates of 0.2% for its existing advertising. In fact, the coasters produced a 13 - 17.5X increase in website conversions, as measured by visits to the website resulting from consumer-initiated taps. Overall, Thinfilm has driven an estimated 92% lift in mobile traffic to the CoastWise landing page.

"The Thinfilm team made everything a snap," Richards said. "And our customers really enjoyed the interactive experience."

Coronado Brewing Co. plans to have its remaining coasters direct consumers to its ecommerce page. The company is also considering using Thinfilm technology for additional point-of-sale opportunities.

"Thinfilm looks forward to bringing continued innovative customer experiences to Coronado Brewing Co.," said Sutija. "We're committed to helping them stand out in a crowded market and giving them unique data sets to better understand and connect with the unpredictable craft beer customer."

Click here to download the case study: "Innovative Coasters Help Brewery Boost Website Conversions"

About Thin Film Electronics ASA

Thinfilm is a global leader in NFC mobile marketing and smart-product solutions using printed electronics technology. The Company creates printed tags, labels, and systems that include memory, sensors, displays, and wireless communication - all at a cost-per-function unmatched by conventional electronic technologies.

Thinfilm offers end-to-end mobile marketing solutions that feature hardware, label/packaging integration services, and comprehensive cloud-based management, reporting and analytics. Collectively, these components deliver a powerful 1-to-1 digital marketing platform through which brands of all sizes can connect directly with consumers, all with the simple tap of a smartphone. The resulting disintermediation of search engines, online marketplaces, and social platforms empowers brands to control messaging, enhance consumer dialogue, build loyalty, increase engagement, and drive sales.

Thinfilm's roadmap integrates technology from a strong and growing ecosystem of partners to bring intelligence to everyday, disposable items. Its mission is to effectively extend the traditional boundaries of the Internet of Things to fuel the Internet of Everything.

Thin Film Electronics ASA is a publicly listed company in Norway with global headquarters in Oslo, Norway; US headquarters in San Jose, California; and offices in Linköping, Sweden; San Francisco; London; and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.thinfilm.no.

About Coronado Brewing Company

In 1996, when craft beer was still a foreign term and San Diego County was home to only a handful of breweries, the Chapman brothers, Ron and Rick, opened a brewpub in their hometown of Coronado. Today Coronado Brewing stays true to its San Diego roots, brewing a diverse portfolio specializing in abundantly hoppy West Coast-style ales, available in 19 US states and 12 countries. In addition to the long-established pub in Coronado, the company operates a tasting room inside its San Diego production facility, and a tasting room and restaurant in Imperial Beach, California. Coronado Brewing Company is the proud recipient of one of the brewing industry's most prestigious awards-World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster for a Mid-Size Brewing Company, 2014.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to §5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act).

For more information on Thinfilm please contact:
Bill Cummings
SVP Corporate Communications
Thin Film Electronics ASA
+1 408-503-7312
bill.cummings@thinfilm.no                                            

For more information on Coronado Brewing Company please contact: