The Brief

Hennessy hosts a number of events to encourage consumers to trial their products and become advocates of the brand. Traditionally, this is done through in-bar activity and on a one-to-one basis. Hennessy Artistry Halo is the brand’s flagship music event which brings stars from around Asia Pacific together, in a one-off concert. 2011’s event played host to celebrities, Jam Hsiao, Zowie, Aairf Lee, Okamoto’s, Tim and Mr. Our challenge was not only to get 2000 fans in Hong Kong to attend, but to ensure that awareness of Hennessy reached far beyond the one-to-one contact the show usually delivers.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

In order to increase awareness like never before, we came up with the strategy, ‘Fans Amp.’ It was obvious that the best way to share our messaging was by utilizing the brand’s loyal fans on Facebook. We needed to create a series of activations, without paid media support, that would allow fans to spread the news about Hennessy to their friends. We already knew they liked to be engaged through our previous +1 campaigns like ‘Music Without Boundaries,’ which saw over 900 entries of people sharing how they would break boundaries.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Without paid media support: • 3,000 people attended, 1,000 over target! • Facebook fan base grew to 10,000. A 46% increase! • Generated 1,518 contributions, including +1 activity and photos posted at the event • Viral reach peaked at 31,543, over 300% of the fan base • Reached 144,000 users - Saw entries from outside Hong Kong, including Taiwan, which allowed us to identify our biggest brand advocates. - Established popular drinks and segmented information for Hennessy, by age and demographic. - Collection of onsite data, using RFID technology, provided Hennessy with the first step in developing their CRM database.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

In the lead-up, we ran a Facebook competition. Fans who shared and generated awareness of the show were awarded tickets. They became our amplification and awareness channel online for the Hennessy Halo Event. Personalised RFID bracelets were produced for each registrant, replacing traditional paper tickets. These were scanned upon entering and each time the attendee ordered a Hennessy Mix at one of the bars. During the event, fans were able to post pictures on Facebook and vote on their favourite Hennessy Mix drinks using an RFID-based tagging system. Hennessy gained valuable insights into the behavior and preferences of their consumers.