Martell Cognac
Global Drinks Activation

The cognac category is so rooted in luxury status that many drinkers don’t know what cognac actually is, or how best to drink it. Martell wanted to challenge this by showcasing their hero drinks & liquid story.

Their Above-The-Line comms (created by BBH) set the tone, evoking the French Revolution in a witty, fun way. Ark Drinks were tasked with activating globally Below-The-Line.

We built the campaign around a simple behavioural nudge that helps drinkers remember how to order Martell at the bar. You can enrich any Classic cocktail by swapping the usual spirit for Martell, thanks to the rich essence of French grapes at the heart of their liquid.  Try it next time you order a Negroni – it really works. Our flexible, revolution-inspired campaign highlighted all the Classic recipes that Martell can set free from dated old recipes.

We created a plug-and-play toolkit to bring our cognac revolution to local On-Trade venues. Menus were hacked to offer Martell-switched Classics, via graffiti stickers, manifesto pamphlets and card inserts. And we muddled fresh grapes to order for the brand’s delicious new signature Martell Smash serve.

We covered full theatrical Gold level activations to cost-effective Bronze & Silver roll-out, with over 50 items, and step-by-step guides including high-volume festivals, and brunch events. We also produced gift boxes for global Press Events, with everything needed for a Martell Negroni.