Hennessy Aims For High-End Growth With New Paradis Campaign

After an explosive run of growth from 2017-2021 that saw it add more than a million cases and crest the 5-million-case mark in the U.S., Hennessy Cognac took a step back last year along with the rest of the Cognac category. The brand’s volume was down an estimated 9% in the U.S. to approximately 4.6 million cases, according to Impact Databank. Still, Hennessy remains the top spirits brand in the U.S. in retail value terms at more than $2.5 billion.

The Cognac brand’s premiumization strategy helped Moët Hennessy post a 14% sales increase in its Cognac & Spirits segment last year. Now, the company is doubling down on the luxury consumer with a new global campaign behind its prestige Cognac Hennessy Paradis, which sells for upwards of $1,000 a bottle.

For the new push behind Paradis, Hennessy partnered with musicians Alicia Keys and Lang Lang, the latter a Chinese virtuoso pianist. Shot in the Utah desert, it pays homage to Paradis creator Maurice Fillioux’s love of classical music. A sixth-generation Hennessy master blender, Fillioux created Paradis in 1979, blending it from the Cognac house’s oldest eaux-de-vie and likening the process to the way a conductor guides a symphony. According to the company, the new campaign sees Keys and Lang come together “to amplify the natural beauty of Hennessy Paradis and become its modern day conductors.”

While the bulk of Hennessy’s volume remains at the VS and VSOP levels, Moët Hennessy has invested heavily in the luxury end of the market, not only behind its permanent range but also with unique rare expressions. For example, in September Hennessy released the limited-edition Hennessy Paradis Golden Edition exclusively on BlockBar, a DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits. The brand also introduced rare entries such as Richard Hennessy x Berluti and Hennessy x Dame Jeanne.

Amid the premiumization push, some retail and on-premise operators report that allocations remain tight for not only Hennessy but other key Cognac brands as well, following the category’s surge of growth in the U.S. from 2015-2021 that saw it expand by 13% annually to above 8.8 million cases. Additionally, supply chain backlogs have affected the category the past two years, although that situation has improved some in recent months.—Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : Hennessy, Moet Hennessy, Paradis

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2021 DATA AND 2022 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2022 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.