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Hennessy cognac has selected rapper/producer Swizz Beatz to help launch a new product for the brand, and will leverage him in multiple traditional and non-traditional channels.
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So, Hennessy Black is the company’s first major product launch in almost 60 years. As part of his involvement with Black, Beatz will peform an original song – “When I Step Into the Club” – at a NYC launch event. The song, which presumably will reference the new Hennessy Black, will also soon have a full length video, that again will presumably include plenty of prime placement of the new cognac.
What’s interesting about this partnership is that Beatz approached Hennessy about working together…and Hennessy actually listened. As a Hennessy marketing exec tells it, “Beatz is a long-time fan of the brand and approached us looking for ways we could work together.”
In addition to the song, video, and special performance, Hennessy will also conduct a dance contest on their YouTube channel called “Up/Down” where consumers will be able to create and post their own dance for a chance to be flown to LA and cut into a new version of the “When I Step In the Club” video. Other tie-ins with Beatz are also supposedly in the works.
Not sure about the dance contest and how that fits with and elevates the Henessy brand. But I like how they are working with Beatz to integrate the product into the song and video…and not trying to hide it. Consumers are generally savvy enough to see through veiled product plugs anyway, so why not just be overt with it and get as much as you can out of the partnership instead of trying to be coy.
And sounds like Beatz really likes and uses the product anyway, so it’s not that fraudulent of a partnering. And a hip hop artist and Hennessy Black is a natural fit so it’s really not much of a stretch. It might be a little different if it were Michael Bolton or Huey Lewis promoting Hennessy Black. Entertaining perhaps. But different.
