How Bar Dog Wines Used an AI Brand Mascot to Drive 133% Year-Over-Year Sales Growth
Fig1.ai AI-powered retail experiences deployed across Mariano's stores. Two programs. Two brands. Both exceeding +130% year-over-year sales growth.
The Challenge
Bar Dog Wines wanted to break through a crowded category at Mariano's — telling their brand story, boosting engagement around in-store demos, and driving sales of two SKUs on shelf. They also wanted to spotlight their charitable partnership with PAWS Chicago and give shoppers a fun, interactive way to learn about the wines and the brand.
The Solution
Fig1.ai brought Bar Dog — the brand's mascot — to life as an AI character shoppers could talk to, ask questions, and learn from. The experience lived in-store and online, anchored by a clear charitable hook and the personality of the brand itself.
AI Brand Mascot
Bar Dog as a conversational AI persona — answering questions about the two in-store SKUs, sharing the brand story, and giving shoppers a friendly, approachable way to engage with the wines.
In-Store Demo Experience
Activations at Mariano's connected the physical demo to the AI experience, giving the in-store team a richer story to tell and shoppers a reason to lean in beyond a sample pour.
Charitable Storytelling — PAWS Chicago
The Mariano's campaign highlighted Bar Dog's partnership with PAWS Chicago — $1 donated for every bottle sold — turning a purchase into a contribution to the no-kill community mission.
National Expansion
Following the Mariano's success, the program expanded nationally with a full Bar Dog experience on Drink Agents — featuring all six California varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc), a Drink Finder, and a "Put Your Dog on the Bottle" custom label generator.
The Results
The Fig1 experience drove ongoing engagement, not a one-time spike. 2026 sales consistently towered over 2025 across the run, with acceleration into late April and early May — a sign that shoppers were coming back, not just impulse-buying once. The program got stronger as it ran.
Why It Matters
Bar Dog shows what happens when an AI experience is built around a brand's actual personality instead of bolted on as a generic chatbot. The mascot gave shoppers a reason to engage, the charitable hook gave them a reason to buy, and the data shows the program changed behavior — not just lifted a single weekend. That's the difference between a campaign and a platform.
AI Experiences That Live Anywhere
Fig.1 Engagement Agents can be deployed across nearly any customer touchpoint: Instagram link-in-bio, retailer websites, brand microsites, digital ads, QR codes, POS displays, trade events, and email or SMS campaigns. One build becomes a multi-purpose asset across the full marketing ecosystem.
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