HENNESSY FOODIE’S LAB

TitleHENNESSY FOODIE’S LAB
BrandHENNESSY
Product / ServiceHENNESSY & MEALS
CategoryB07. Social Business & Commerce
EntrantRUDER FINN ASIA Shanghai, CHINA
Idea Creation RUDER FINN ASIA Shanghai, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Santi Yan Ruder Finn Group China Group Creative Director IMC
Ethan Zhang Ruder Finn Group China Associate Creative Director
Xi Long Ruder Finn Group China National Lead IMC
Lydia Li Ruder Finn Group China Senior Consultant

Background

For decades after entering China, Cognac was perceived as a western spirit and appeared on tables at night clubs. But in this country of 1.4 billion people, 9 out of 10 spirits are consumed at another table – the dinner table. And at the dinner table, the idea of pairing Cognac with a meal was not yet established. Since Cognac is seen as a clubbing drink, it does not generate good sales performance in eCommerce, which is extremely popular among consumers in China. The drink is also perceived as traditional and conventional, which does not appeal to the younger generation. In June 2019, Hennessy launched the Hennessy Foodie’s Lab campaign to change that and to boost online sales. Objectives • Establish dining norm of Cognac pairing with Chinese food for all occasions. • Cultivate Cognac consumption in China and boost online sales

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Introducing Hennessy Foodie’s Lab and turning dinner tables into Hennessy’s labs. Hennessy launched a fun, interactive “WouldYouPickMe” online challenge. Three very different celebrities were invited to create buzz to engage different consumers. With individual themes, each created their ‘food and Cognac’ experiment and competed against each other. Consumers voted for their favourite celebrity. “Vote for your favorite” mini-apps went live as part of the social competition. Consumers were directed to the Foodie’s lab ecommerce store where Celebrity meal packages and recipes were available to select ingredients and Cognac for home experiments. This was the first time for a cross-category partnership promotion on JD.com for the Alcohol X Food sector in China. Pairing experiments were replicated at a Foodie’s Lab pop-up restaurant in Guangzhou where consumers, KOLs and media came to experience. Top three special menus voted by consumers will be rolled out in 60 restaurants nationwide.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

• Existing and new consumers • Younger generation (celebrities’ followers, videos-streaming, online purchase) Social and Viral Storytelling Leveraged three powerful endorsers and three famous chefs in a captivating competition. Taste, Human Touch and Fun demonstrated the surprises that can be discovered through the ‘chemistry’ between Hennessy and Chinese cuisine. o TASTE: Xiaoqing Chen, director of renowned A Bite of China gourmet documentary o HUMAN TOUCH: Sean Zhang, actor, top model and former chef. o FUN: Victoria Song, actress and singer Content to eCommerce • Integrated digital multi-touchpoints and KOLs’ influence to attract consumers, and direct to Hennessy’s online store for celebrity-menu packages of Hennessy and Chinese food ingredients. • Upgraded BTL experiential events and ATL communications to be more engaging and user-friendly. Experiential Program to Stimulate Trials • A large-scale promotion of the top three celebrity menus was rolled-out in regional restaurants throughout the year.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

7 June 2019 Social and Viral Storytelling • Hennessy Foodie’s Lab: Who Would You Pick?’ Four viral videos and key visuals were launched across digital and social platforms (Weibo, WeChat, OTV, OTT) Content to eCommerce • Hennessy Foodie’s lab eCommerce site on JD.com opened. Consumers inspired by the celebrities and their stories could immediately select food ingredients and Hennessy in one package for DIY at home. • “Vote for your favorite” mini-apps went live 14 June Hennessy Foodie’s Lab pop-up restaurant was launched in Guangzhou. • Media, Gourmets, KOLs and consumers participated to experience Chen, Song and Zhang’s Hennessy dining experiments. 18th June onwards • The top three Hennessy + food menus selected by Chinese consumers were announced The selections will be rolled-out in an experiential program nationwide in 60 restaurants including Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu throughout the year.

List the results (30% of vote)

Within three weeks •Hennessy No.1 in record-breaking sales performance. •1000% above sales target •300,000 eCommerce store followers recruited •Social media reached 190million •148+million Weibo engagements; 14million video viewers. •WeChat Moment ads response rate: 5.26% •Spontaneous reporting and highly recognised by top three marketing media (Adquan, Socialbeta, DIGITALING) and widely studied as a successful marketing campaign. Shortlisted as Best Case Study of the Week. “We are delighted to see the strong creatives successfully translated into coherent consumer journey, and the carefully crafted 360 brand experiences fuelled up the conversion funnel. The results not only exceeded our internal KPIs, the expressions of the campaign ideas have refreshed the food marketing of the wine& spirit caregory.” Li Cheng, Brand Director, Moet Hennessy Diageo “To answer "What to eat today"? Hennessy always gives different answers. …it always generates magical chemical reactions and rediscovers Chinese flavour when paired with authentic Chinese cuisine.” Media

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