Reintroducing A Classic, With A Twist

Client: Gruppo Campari

OVERVIEW

Purchased by Gruppo Campari in 2016, Grand Marnier was a 137 year old French orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. Made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. When Louis-Alexandre created his recipe, he named it Curaçao Marnier. César Ritz (Founder of Ritz Carlton and friend of Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle) came up with the name ‘Grand Marnier,’  calling it “A Grand Name for a ‘Grand Liqueur!”

 

CHALLENGE

Although the brand had a somewhat loyal following, its position didn’t reflect it’s legacy or future aspirations. Enjoyed by college kids, usually taken as a shot or an unknown ingredient in a margarita and referred to as “grandma” by bartenders the brand was what the industry would refer to as “dusty” leaving it with a brand perception problem. The brand needed to attract a new audience, regain it’s luster and lose it’s dusty reputation.

 

SOLUTION

Leveraging the power of the network, J. Walter Thompson looked to refresh the brand at every touch-point. First we identified opportunities to engaged and rebuild relevance by focusing on a new target audience, social strivers: an urban centric, upwardly mobile Xennial audience. This socially savvy audience trades in experiences we called “social currency” amongst their peer group and look for brands the reflect their “brands” values. From there we drew inspiration from Grand Marniers’ legacy and tapped into its rich French heritage and savoir faire, creating a new brand proposition ‘LIVE GRAND,’ and translating it across all channels.

 

Main touch-points:

• ATL Campaign
• Website Redesign
• In-Store POS
• Social Media Framework (US & Global Playbook & Guidelines)
• Social Content (Hero, Hub, Hygiene)

 

RESULTS

• +14.9% Growth in Americas
• 21.7% Increase in social following

 

CREDITS:

Brent Choi, CCO Global Lead Gruppo Campari

Sean DallasKidd, Executive Creative Director

Sean Ellman, Creative Director (ATL)

Rachel Theberge, Art Director (Website, Social)

Tom Hasenfratz, Sr. Copywriter (Social)

Brooke Wilson, Jr. Copywriter (Website, Social)

Torsten Gross, Head of Strategy

Kathryn Earls, Brand Strategy (Social)

Meredith Steinman, Business Director Campari

Remy Wainfeld, SAS (Website, Social)

BRAND FILM

WEBSITE REDESIGN

SOCIAL CONTENT // SALT WITH GRANDEUR, TEASER

CONTENT NOTE

The Salt With Grandeur series was a unique approach to elevating the margarita (a focus cocktail for the business) for Grand Marnier. Each episode, would highlight a unique salt from around the world, adding a unique twist to the classic cocktail — elevating the experience, from Takesumi bamboo salt which is packed in a canister bamboo and tossed into a furnace to 24-karat gold reef see salt for an added layer of granduer.

SOCIAL CONTENT // GLOBAL

IN-STORE // DISPLAY CONCEPTS