Hennessy: Hennessy Kaws Mobile Campaign

 
Campaign Summary

Global cognac brand Hennessy, which prides itself on creating out-of-the-box partnerships to heighten the consumer experience, engaged world-renowned contemporary artist Kaws to create edgy artwork for a limited-edition labeled Hennessy V.S. bottle. A digital/social/mobile (DSM) campaign was developed to engage consumers on multiple levels throughout the six- to 12-month bottle distribution period and to integrate the Hennessy and Kaws fan bases, promoting the specially labeled V.S. bottle to a mobile audience.

Strategy and Execution

Hennessy took a multichannel mobile approach and deployed a DSM strategy to execute three strategic goals of the mobile portion of its Kaws campaign:

An interactive experience was created to engage consumers on multiple channels.Fan bases for both Hennessy and Kaws were integrated by designing a digital and social media campaign to comingle the brands' fans and social networking sites.Consumers were engaged during the six- to 12-month bottle distribution period by building up to the bottle release and telling the story to consumers who might have missed the initial launch.

Digital

A series of video shorts were developed to engage consumers in the story of how the Hennessy Kaws partnership unfolded. Kaws (born Brian Donnelly) was filmed visiting Hennessy headquarters in Cognac, France, and narrated how the Hennessy craftsmanship inspired his artwork on the label. Kaws was also filmed in his New York City studio. At the end of each video, a text call to action prompted viewers to visit the Hennessy Kaws mobile site and become a VIP fan, which kept users up to date on Hennessy products, promotions, and news. To keep consumers engaged over time, the campaign released the videos at intervals over a six-month period and on various channels.

Mobile

A custom-branded QR code was developed using Kaws-inspired colors and an image of the actual Hennessy bottle. The QR code was printed on each limited-edition bottle and on all press materials. A Kaws-branded mobile website was also developed as the back end of the QR code. The simple, easy-to-navigate website prompted visitors to watch the videos. In addition, they could download the label as wallpaper for their mobile phones, access cocktail recipes, and use an interactive map to locate stores that carried the limited-edition bottle.

Social

To spread campaign awareness, a call to action to "like" Hennessy on Facebook was made a prominent item on the mobile website. The site also suggested sharing it with friends.

Results

Branding the bottles with a QR code enabled the experience to be new to users throughout the campaign. Over the course of six months, the custom-branded QR code obtained 1.3 million scans, a mobile industry record.

The video shorts obtained more than 7,000 views across multiple channels.

The Hennessy Kaws mobile wallpaper was downloaded more than 101,000 times in the first three months of the campaign.


Categories: QR Codes | Industries: Food, Beverage, Tobacco | Objectives: Cross Mobile Integration | Awards: Silver Global Winner, NA Regional Winner