For over 300 years, Martell has been challenging conventions, bridging cultures and communities, but it was time for Martell to recruit the next generation of cognac drinkers in a world where socializing goes beyond the physical space.
The social media landscape is an existing challenge today for the spirits category. While the top 5 spirits categories decreased in 2019, more dynamic categories such as cognac had a unique opportunity to rise in share of voice during 2020.
To steal the attention from its cognac competitors, Martell set out to promote the stories of those who are challenging the status quo, by living audaciously, and celebrate those who fly high above the rest to push culture, communities, and the world forward.
Leading up to the launch of Martell's new campaign, the brand launched a consumer-first phygital activation. Each activation is a one-month dedicated to a new protagonist who shares Martell's spirit of audacity and leaving a legacy.
For the month of December 2020, in the shadow of Coronavirus, Martell identified Max La Manna as the first hero of the month. An award-winning zero waste chef, author and presenter. Max’s mission is to turn the tide on rubbish and breathe new energy into the leftovers and food scraps that are typically destined for landfill. Along with Max, Martell encouraged more awareness around the food and drinks we consume, where they come from and what happens when we waste it.
Martell shared what makes the protagonist audacious, how they enjoy drinking Martell and together planned a phygital event that combines their uniqueness with Martell’s legacy.
After being behind its competitors for years, Martell, for the first time ever, reached NUMBER ONE for Share of Engagement in the entire cognac category globally for the year 2020, and skyrocketed in terms of Brand Impressions ranking NUMBER ONE in this category as well. Apart from 6.8 million impressions and 65K engagements, Martell managed to recruit 112 new cognac drinkers that joined an exclusive masterclass with Max.
Regarding Share of Voice, the brand became the fastest growing brand of the year after stealing over 7% from Hennessy for ourselves, putting the brand at #2 (and approaching #1) for Share of Voice in the cognac category. Our high level of improvement has also seemed to stop Remy, D’Ussé and Courvoisier from improving as they stayed consistent compared to 2019.
The campaign forced Martell to replant its goals after reaching them within just one month of its launch.
