Hennessy is the #1 selling Cognac brand in the US. However, over the last few years sales have plateaued for both Hennessy and the Cognac category due to the rise of premium spirits products targeting this same core consumer. As the Hennessy drinker ages, the brand is faced with the challenge of maintaining the loyalty of its core consumers while also recruiting a younger target, and keeping the brand relevant to both.
Hennessy was looking to re-position the brand. The company developed the “Never Stop. Never Settle.” mantra as an emblem of the success the brand has achieved and its commitment not to rest on its laurels. The Wild Rabbit device was created to further illustrate this concept, representing the spirit to strive for excellence. It is dark, elusive, and deeply personal yet universal in that everyone has a Wild Rabbit that they are chasing. A variety of creative executions were developed to bring the campaign to life. However, given the esoteric nature of the Wild Rabbit concept, it was necessary to develop a multi-media plan that focused on campaign comprehension as well as brand awareness.
The agency led the charge in working to develop a strategy to support the new brand. TV was introduced to take over the former role of OOH in creating a mass awareness for Hennessy. As a result, the team was challenged to identify a new role for OOH and how it could support Hennessy in educating consumers about the new brand concept. This was a major shift in the role of OOH – going from a low CPM/high frequency format to a hand-selected format primed for consumer connection. The priority was to use quality OOH vehicles that resonated with the more mature core consumer yet still provided effective reach of the younger “tastemaker” target.