Sir Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) has returned to his advertising roots, partnering with Hennessy to direct a branded film about the cognac’s seven “taste-scapes.”
The branded film is designed to illustrate the “Worlds of Greatness” connoisseurs will experience while drinking Hennessy X.O. Scott’s film will be divided into seven commercials, each tying into a different tasting note—Sweet Notes, Rising Heat, Spicy Edge, Flowing Flame, Chocolate Lull, Wood Crunches and Infinite Echo.
“Luxury appeal is about emotion, it’s about building a dream,” Thomas Moradpour, global chief marketing officer for Hennessy said in a statement.
Scott’s visual interpretations of Hennessy X.O tasting notes will be adapted into seven 3D ads that will debut this Fall. Each 3D ad will feature a symbolic tunnel that leads consumers to an ad for the completed film, which debuts in 2019 as part of a global campaign. Hennessy says the campaign will offer “tactile, hyper-graphic and poetic visuals that hover between reality and the mythical.”
Joking that feature films were getting on his nerves and he missed advertising work, Scott said he was inspired by Hennessy’s original script, scribbling ideas and drawing storyboards. He explained that although he hadn’t specifically planned to return to advertising, the director always remained open to something “special.” Scott’s Worlds of Greatness film will take on a surreal aspect, visually leading audiences through an “odyssey” of sensory ideas.
“The result [of this film] is not simply advertising, it’s entertainment,” explained Scott of his first ad in 15 years. “I think advertising has realized after 30 years that it must shift back to entertainment and stop treating their consumers like demographics.”
Hennessy is experiencing a boon among American consumers. The cognac brand reached $1.6 billion in retail sales in 2017 to become the largest spirit brand by value in the US.
For several years, Hennessy has used visual interpretations to describe its products. In June, the brand partnered with urban artist Alexandre Farto, aka “Vhils” to design its 2018 Very Special Limited Edition bottle. The campaign included art installations in a number of cities including New York and Chicago, created to represent “making the invisible visible.”
