LVMH to boost awareness

The business includes flagship cognac brand Hennessy VSOP and champagne Moët et Chandon. The contested pitch for the new, unified account has gone through three rounds since last year.

VSOP will be handled jointly by the two agencies, while Proximity Live will manage Moët et Chandon and fellow champagne Dom Perignon. Fleishman-Hillard is set to look after several of the wine brands.

“One of the big challenges of this pitch is understanding the needs of the widely different brands and their target audiences in a very competitive alcoholic beverage market,” said Elan Shou, senior vice- president and general manager of Fleishman-Hillard in Shanghai.

Despite the growing popularity of international alcohol brands in the mainland, consumer education is still a vital part of the LVMH brief. “Especially in second- and third-tier cities, a lot of customers will just buy anything that’s foreign,” said Shou.

“While VSOP’s competition - especially Chivas - is being sold mixed with green tea, we’re not going for that approach. It’s a little low- end,” she added. Instead, VSOP will launch special city cocktails, mixed with several flavours such as ginger, to attract customers.

Consumer education forms an important part of the champagne brief as well - especially in differentiating the real thing from sparkling wine. “However, as Moët et Chandon was the first champagne brand in China, brand recognition is already very strong and it is the market leader,” said Proximity managing partner Jude Robert.