{"id":617,"date":"2014-12-04T18:02:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T18:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timwyatt.ca\/test\/?p=617"},"modified":"2015-01-04T19:12:34","modified_gmt":"2015-01-04T19:12:34","slug":"team-hennessy-building-product-awareness-online-offline-with-new-influencer-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timwyatt.ca\/test\/?p=617","title":{"rendered":"Team Hennessy: Building Product Awareness Online & Offline with New Influencer Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was originally posted on WOMMA’s All Things WOMM blog<\/a>\u00a0on December 4, 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

What typically comes to mind when revamping an influencer program? Usually it\u2019s finding advocates with high reach that also care about your brand. When Hennessy US sought to design an influencer program, they pushed the needle by coming up with a new approach.\u00a0Moet Hennessy USA<\/a>\u00a0Digital Marketing Director Montana Triplett and\u00a0Social@Ogilvy<\/a>\u00a0Account Director Madeline McCaul presented how they formed a team of 14 brand ambassadors, called\u00a0Team Hennessy<\/a>, to increase online and offline product awareness and push sales.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3865\"<\/a><\/p>\n

First, Hennessy took a deep dive into their target market, Hispanic and African American males age 21-35, and where they needed to be to move beyond tactics and launch a breakthrough campaign. Not only did they conduct extensive research around their target market, they also looked at their competitive set including vodka and tequila brands.<\/p>\n

The research pointed to two main problems:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. People saw the brand as conservative and old-fashioned<\/li>\n
  2. With its strong taste, there was a misconception that it cannot be a mixed drink<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Trying to appeal to a new generation of ethnic drinkers and increase consideration among super premium spirit drinkers, within this new target, required rebranding. The new target wanted advertising that would mean more than just a product; it needed to be a theme. That\u2019s when the breakthrough idea was born, \u201cWhat\u2019s Your Wild Rabbit?,\u201d pushing the limits of one\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

    In order to be affective with the consumer, Hennessy needed to challenge them. They went beyond the traditional, \u201cinfluence the influencer,\u201d and found influencers who embodied the wild rabbit spirit and who could also drive tactical sales. This became their new influencer model:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/div>\n

    In order to have an actionable influence on the business, each influencer has to have relationships with club owners, has to get the product on shelves (each influencer has sales goals) and has to be great content promoters inside and outside the club.<\/p>\n

    To find the perfect match, Hennessy also shadowed every potential influencer for three things:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Were they good hosts?<\/li>\n
    2. Could they get people into the clubs and buy bottles?<\/li>\n
    3. Could they pull themselves together after a night of drinking and work the next day?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Hennessy ended up with a team of 14 influencers – 14 ongoing channels to distribute content through. On any given night Team Hennessy is inviting celebrities and influencers to the clubs and taking pictures that show off the product lifestyle as well as selling bottles. The next day, Team Hennessy can take that content and share it on social media in their voice.<\/p>\n

      That kind of never stop, entrepreneurial spirit resulted in:<\/strong><\/p>\n