Hennessy celebrates Black History Month with 'We Are' video series

Dive Brief:

Cognac brand Hennessy is debuting a four-part content series, "We Are," to celebrate Black History Month and showcase the stories of innovators and empower the next generation, the company announced.
The first episode, "We Are Creators," features hip hop artist A$AP Ferg; fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss; DJ and son of Jam Master Jay, TJ Mizell; and vintage clothing designer Sami Miro. The five-minute video focuses on the importance of art as an expressive platform and how each artist uses art to push boundaries.
Hennessy is releasing more episodes throughout February, including "We Are Proud," "We Are Disruptors," and "We Are Ambitious" with producers, musicians, celebrity stylists, education advocates and nonprofit founders.

Dive Insight:

Hennessy is celebrating Black History Month by showcasing compelling figures from the worlds of art, technology, fashion and music, and how the brand's "Never stop. Never settle" theme relates to their work. The digital content series could help Hennessy foster deeper emotional connections with African-American millennials, a valuable demographic for the brand. Fifty-four percent of African-American consumers are digital natives and are more likely to use their smartphones to stream video, according to Nielsen.

Millennials make up more than one-quarter of the African-American population, and research shows African-American millennials differ from the broader generation when it comes to dining and drinking preferences, media consumption and purchasing habits, according to Viant Technology. These consumers also spend more money on spirits than other consumer groups and buy more gin, bourbon, brandy and cognac, according to Nielsen research cited by Convenience Store News.

The "We Are" video series is the latest example of how brands are experimenting with different video formats and content types, often with inspiring messages. Viewers of original digital video (ODV) tend to skew younger and more diverse and appreciate opportunities to engage with branded content in a memorable way. Viewership of ODV increased 60% from 45 million in 2013 to 72 million in 2018, according to Interactive Advertising Bureau research.

The new content series follows a brand film from Hennessy that was directed by Ridley Scott and will premiere in 2019. The film, titled "Worlds of Greatness," was created to promote its Hennessy X.O. cognac and abstractly explored the product's seven "taste-scapes." The campaign included seven 3D ads featuring "emblematic tunnels" that embody each of the flavor notes.