HENNESSY FOODIE’S LAB

TitleHENNESSY FOODIE’S LAB
BrandHENNESSY
Product / ServiceHENNESSY & MEALS
CategoryA01. Food / Drink
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

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?

Hennessy Foodie’s Lab was launched in China to dispel a perception that Hennessy is just a foreign drink, and to establish the norm pairing Cognac with Chinese food. In a highly competitive market, it was crucial for Hennessy to differentiate and localise the brand to continue to recruit affluent consumers and expand to the younger generation. Within three weeks, the fun and engaging online campaign, which integrated various digital touchpoints and an offline event, attracted consumers nationwide and drove record-breaking sales. Social media reach increased by 402%, generated 148+ million engagements.

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. Cognac, seen as traditional and conventional, does not appeal to the younger generation In June 2019, Hennessy launched the Hennessy Foodie’s Lab to change that perception. Objectives • Establish the dining norm of Cognac pairing with Chinese food for all occasions. • Cultivate Cognac consumption in China to boost sales

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We launched #WouldYouPickMe# Hennessy Foodie’s Lab, turning everyone’s dinner table into a Hennessy’s lab. Hennessy launched a fun & interactive #WouldYouPickMe# online challenge. Three popular but very different celebrities were invited to dramatically create buzz to engage different consumer groups. With individual themes, each created their own ‘food and Cognac’ experiments and competed against each other. Consumers voted for their favourite celebrity. Pairing experiments were replicated at a Foodie’s Lab pop-up restaurant in Guangzhou. Consumers, KOLs and media were invited to experience their creativity. Top three special menus voted by consumers, will be rolled out in 60 restaurants nationwide this year eCommerce game-changer collaboration Consumers can select different food ingredients and Cognac at the Hennessy eCommerce store, to create their own experiments at home. This was the first time for a cross-category partnership promotion on JD.com for the Alcohol X Food sector in China.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

• Existing and new consumers, especially the younger generation • Industry leaders, gourmets, social KOLs, media Social and Viral Storytelling Leveraged three powerful endorsers and three famous chefs to drive interest and encourage trials with a captivating competition. Taste, Human Touch and Fun represented the surprises that can be discovered through the'chemistry' between Hennessy and Chinese cuisine. oTASTE: Xiaoqing Chen, director of renowned A Bite of China gourmet documentary oHUMAN TOUCH: Sean Zhang, actor, top model and former chef. oFUN: Victoria Song, actress and singer Content to eCommerce • Integrated digital multi-touchpoints and KOLs’influence to attract consumers and direct them 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 Programme to Stimulate Trails • A large-scale promotion of the top three celebrity menus was rolled-out in regional restaurants throughout the year.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

7 June 2019 Social and Viral Storytelling • Hennessy Foodie’s Lab: Would You Pick Me?’ 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 programme nationwide in 60 restaurants including Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu throughout the year.

List the results (30% of vote)

Within three weeks • No.1 in record-breaking sales performance of Hennessy. 1000% above sales target. • 300,000 eCommerce store followers recruited. • Social media reached 190 million. • 148+million Weibo engagements; 14 million video viewers. • Media and KOL: 187 articles; earned PR value: RMB15 million. • Spontaneous reporting and highly recognized by top three marketing media (Adquan, Socialbeta, DIGITALING) and widely studied as a successful marketing campaign. Shortlisted as Best Case Study of the Week. • The campaign successfully reached different consumer groups: public, foodies, existing customers and younger generation. Client “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 category." Li Cheng, Brand Director, Moet Hennessy Diageo

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