Customer stories


Dewar's

FileMaker Powers Dewar's 'World of Whisky' e-Postcard System

A Wee dram o' Whisky and a good shot of technology have resulted in a revolutionary slant for visitors to Dewar's 'World of Whisky' Distillery (take an internet-based tour of 'World of Whisky' at http://www.dewars.com/worldofwhisky/default.asp). Dewar's has teamed up with FileMaker the information management solutions company, FileMaker's alliance partner, Majikam, and graphic designers, Motivo, to create a real time e-postcard system, available via kiosks to all the visiting public at Dewar's, Aberfeldy, Scotland.

Dewar's wanted to create a website and on-site kiosks that were functional and appealing. After designing a world-class interactive website for Dewar's, Motivo needed to find a partner to deliver an electronic postcard solution for the many kiosks implemented by Motivo for the Dewar's World of Whisky Visitors' Centre. Motivo chose a small US company, Majikam, for its unique methodology, technology and tested reliability in stand-alone kiosks and high traffic events. FileMaker, whose database tools are renowned for their flexibility and ease of use, provides the foundation of this unique technology.

Majikam technology creates a unique web page or 'Majikam' using the visitor's photo and text input (i.e., a message to the recipient), simultaneously e-mailing a link from that Majikam to the sender and the recipient. This unique system invites users to see live screen shows in a video stream superimposed on the chosen background in real time. Once the user, standing before the Majikam kiosk, sees the image he or she likes, the user clicks 'take photo'. A preview screen appears so the user can re-take the photo or continue to the addressing screen. On the addressing screen the user enters identifying information including name, e-mail address, the e-mail address of someone else and then a text message.

On the back-end, Majikam uses several specialized servers to hold and serve the database contents to the Majikam web server. The versatility and stability of the FileMaker Pro Unlimited solution is the backbone of the Majikam message server. AJ Fardella, Director of Majikam, said: 'FileMaker's unique ability to hold multimedia assets and/or references to stored resources makes it the most versatile tool for this type of multimedia web application.' What makes the system stand out is its chroma-key image facility, the real time nature of the visual message and that it can create and send e-mails instantly. Mason Miller, Technology Director of Majikam, continued: 'FileMaker provides the tools necessary for Majikam to design, test and deploy our web application projects in very short time frames.'

Keith Harris, VP International, FileMaker, said, 'FileMaker's ease of use and versatility is what makes it possible to develop this kind of project from concept to final so rapidly.'

The system operates in the following way - waiting in the e-mail boxes of recipients and senders of the Majikam postcards are Majikam message links. Once clicked on, the sender's e-mail links open the Majikam in the user's default browser. On display in the Majikam messages is the Motivo design, featuring a link to Dewar's website, the chroma-key video capture made of the sender at the World of Whisky, the sender's email, and a text message.

The role of FileMaker Solution Alliance (FSA) partner, Majikam, was to assist Motivo by receiving completed graphics files laid out as HTML, which were integrated into custom front-end application. Majikam then built a custom Web database application, using FileMaker, to deliver and serve them over the Web.

Dewar's General Manager, Jane Grimley, said: 'This system is fun for visitors to Dewar's, and using a hybrid of technologies, including FileMaker, to create this unique and exciting design, we can let the whole world know we're here.'

About FileMaker Inc.
FileMaker is a leading provider to the growing Web-publishing and workgroup database markets. FileMaker lets departments and teams create databases to manage and track projects, assets and people. Its award-winning FileMaker line of database software provides relational power, instant and custom Web publishing and legendary ease-of-use. FileMaker Inc. is the database software subsidiary of Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).

About Majikam
The Majikam company produces a unique Internet Marketing/Messaging Tool for use at live events and select destinations. Using Digital Video Technology Majikam offers the user an easy to use interface that allows them to send a video email message or Majikam custom-designed for the sponsor and or event.

About Dewar's World of Whisky
Dewar's World of Whisky at Aberfeldy, Perthshire, is an interactive visitor experience that celebrates the unique character and history of the Dewar's brand. In a radical departure from the traditional format of visitor attraction offered by other distilleries throughout Scotland, Dewar's offers visitors much more than just a tour of the mashing and distillation process, taking them on a unique journey through the historical development of the Dewar's brand, one of Scotland's most famous exports. The centre showcases Dewar's rich historical archives, from original drawings for the famously creative advertising, to a table at which Robert Burns used to write. The centre features a range of interactive games and challenges, including the touch-screen Medal Quest and electronic Blending Challenge, as well as a triple-screen video presentation and web site where visitors can send e-postcards to anywhere in the world.



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Jane Grimley
General Manager
Dewar's
Tel: 01887 822011
jgrimley@bacardi.com
www.dewars.com


Jim Kinloch
FileMaker Inc.
Tel: 01628 534100
jim_kinloch@filemaker.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • At Dewar's ‘World of Whisky' Visitor's Centre in Scotland, visitors create unique electronic postcards, then send the postcards to friends and families via email using a system powered by FileMaker Pro.
Industry
  • Creative Services
  • Creative Markets
  • Food/Beverage
  • Information Technology
  • Medium-Large Business