Hennessy undergoes significant marketing shift in first campaign from W+K

Hennessy—the cognac brand that for years told personal stories of perseverance through its “Never Stop, Never Settle” campaign from Droga5 in the U.S.—is making a significant marketing shift under its new global agency Wieden+Kennedy. A new global campaign promotes the brand as a cocktail ingredient for everything from margaritas to highballs in an attempt to portray the cognac as more versatile than it gets credit for. The effort, called “Made for More,” stars U.S. singer-actress Teyana Taylor and British actor Damson Idris. Offbeat ads show them making cocktails in unusual settings, such as one depicting Idris grabbing a mixer from a display at a museum and garnishing it with a lime dangling from a woman’s hat. Another spot shows Taylor mixing a margarita while watching a croquet match as the lime is delivered by a lawn mower. Each spot ends with an ingredient list for the cocktail featured. The approach is a significant departure from “Never Stop, Never Settle,” the mostly U.S. campaign also known as the “Wild Rabbit” that Droga5 debuted shortly after winning the account in 2011. Those ads told stories of diverse pioneers in various fields, such as Black chess Grand Master Maurice Ashley, Black cycling pioneer Marshall “Major” Taylor and the rapper Nas. “Hennessy and Droga5 had a fabulous run for over a decade. Droga5 was instrumental in Hennessy’s growth since 2011, and we are super grateful for the fantastic partnership,” Hennessy Global Chief Marketing Officer Julie Nollet said in a statement to Ad Age. “The Never Stop Never Settle platform has rallied many consumers and it is still very much part of the brand DNA. In 2024 however, we are shaking things up to showcase another side of the brand’s rich personality, focusing back on the beautiful spirit, its versatility and the palette of drinks Hennessy enhances.” Droga5 declined to comment. The agency has not produced work for Hennessy since early 2023. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Creativity Award winners here Wieden+Kennedy, which will lead the account via its Amsterdam office, won the business after a competitive review managed by The Observatory International Paris. It marks the first time Hennessy has hired a single creative agency for global work, according to the brand. Other shops that have previously worked for the brand include DDB Paris. Nollet referred to Hennessy’s “rich history that spans over 250 years and 160 countries around the world,” adding, “As such, we seek creative partners that not only understand where our brand has been globally, but where it is going. Wieden+Kennedy is that partner for us.” Hennessy spent $12 million in measured media in the U.S. in 2023, down from $38 million in 2022, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. While those are modest amounts, the account was a point of pride for Droga5, which often featured its work in award submissions and presentations, including at Advertising Week in 2021. Wieden “has a successful track record of developing and implementing creative ideas that penetrate culture locally while being globally consistent,” Nollet said. “And this first work we’ve created together with them demonstrates just that.” Hennessy’s focus on cocktails comes as cognac makers seek to overcome a slump that has sent sales falling after a spike in demand during the early days of the pandemic. U.S. cognac sales reached an all-time high of 8.5 million cases in 2021 before demand fell sharply, with 6 million cases sold last year, Liquor trade publication Shanken News Daily reported earlier this year. Hennessy, the top brand by market share, saw sales slip by 6.1% to 3.5 million cases in the U.S. last year, Shanken reported. It noted that Hennessy, which is controlled by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, still “outperformed the category in volume.” “Cognac has suffered due to consumers shifting to the tequila category over the past two years, as well as from cautious spending among its core African American demographic owing to economic conditions,” Shanken reported. Tequila, of course, enjoys significant cocktail demand, including for use in margaritas, which could explain Hennessy’s new focus. “Hennessy is well known everywhere but people don’t always know about how versatile it is—how it brings more flavor, depth and complexity to all kinds of cocktails,” Nollet said. “Our new ‘Made for more’ campaign is bringing to life this notion of 1+1=3, showcasing the unlimited possibilities and introducing another side of the brand with beauty, fun and open-mindedness.” Also read: Top 5 creative campaigns you need to know about right now The ads were directed by Andreas Nilsson, who in a statement described Idris and Taylor as “two artists who are exploding at the moment,” adding that Damson “exudes style” and Taylor is “just the epitome of cool,” noting he wanted to “make sure we captured their essence.” Zeynep Orbay, creative director for W+K Amsterdam, said the campaign “pays tribute to the iconic brand that has been built over centuries, while also revealing a new lighter side to match the vibrancy of the product and its consumers.” The campaign includes print and out-of-home ads shot by photographer Micaiah Carter that will run in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London and Berlin. The broader campaign will lean on social media advertising but also include some TV. The media buy includes the U.S., U.K., Germany, South Africa and Australia. The “Made for more” tagline is nearly identical to a Guinness campaign from BBDO that ran several years ago called “Made of more,” although those ads took a different point of view, connecting the beer to people of character. Below, additional ads from the new Hennessy campaign:

Hennessy undergoes significant marketing shift in first campaign from W+K

Featured Stories