Hennessy is an iconic brand, with deep roots in the Black community in the US. But in 2022, we were losing ground. Culturally, with rap song mentions of Hennessy dropping in favour of rival tequila brand Casamigos. And business-wise, with sales slipping in the US.

Research revealed that Hennessy was confined to night-time, heavy partying or overly sophisticated occasions, and that people struggled to imagine other ways of drinking it beyond neat or very simple mixes.

We had to get a new generation of drinkers who had a limited perception of where, when and how to drink Hennessy to see it as a versatile and vibrant spirit.

We needed them to think: “There’s so much more to Hennessy than I thought”. Not only to reestablish our business leadership, but also to reconnect with a new generation and take back cultural leadership as a 250 year old icon.

In this film Damson Idris is playing a high stakes board game when he decides to also make himself a Hennessy cocktail. As dramatic music plays, his confused opponent looks on as Damson uses a soda syphon, a conveniently placed bottle of honey and a mixing spoon disguised as a pen to stylishly stir up a Hennessy Honey Highball. Checkmate.

This film introduces Hennessy in a new yet ownable way that makes the brand feel fresh and relevant in today’s world, while keeping the attitude and boldness Hennessy has built up over the years. It reaches a younger audience (21 to 30, skew more female) without alienating the current Hennessy drinkers (35 to 45, skew more male). With this film we’re shining a new light on how and where Hennessy can be consumed, freeing it up from the box it’s been confined to for so long, opening it up to daytime occasions and lighter yet easy to make cocktails. It creates a unique & ownable world for Hennessy that shows how any drink or occasion can easily be made ‘more’ when you add Hennessy, bringing back Hennessy at the forefront of culture. Ultimately, recruiting the next generation of consumers, future-proofing the brand and impacting sales.