Dive Brief:

• Rémy Martin is homing in on the markets of Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and New York with a limited-edition collection meant to celebrate the music scene in each city, according to a press release.
• The Very Superior Old Pale (V.S.O.P.) “This is My City” collection is available in the four markets, with a unique bottle design celebrating the unique hip-hop culture of each. Live events in each city will promote the bottles and local culture as well as feature special-edition merchandise designed by Jon Stan.
• QR codes on the bottles enable consumers to enter to win a microgrant of $20,000 and mentorship with industry experts in music, art or culture. An extension of the “This is My City” program is planned for the summer.

Dive Insight:

Rémy Martin is looking to reach cognac drinkers in four key markets through music and community outreach. “This is My City” builds on prior hip-hop activations from the brand while acknowledging the unique history of each of the four cities.

Hip-hop has long been a cornerstone of Rémy Martin’s branding and advertising efforts. In 2023, the company rolled out a massive campaign surrounding the genre’s 50th anniversary. The most recent initiative takes that celebration a step further through individualized efforts based on geographic markets. The mentorship program further cements the brand in the culture of each city by sponsoring up-and-coming talent while the limited-edition bottles may interest collectors. 

While the distilled spirits market in the U.S. has seen an overall decline, cognac has been hit especially hard. Rémy Martin’s parent company, Rémy Cointreau saw sales decline 21.5% in Q3 2024, according to an earnings call. This was in part due to the double-digit decline in sales in North America. This is inline with the overall decline in premium spirits as a category.

The “This is My City” initiative looks to engage the brand’s core audiences but arrives at a time that the cognac industry has also flooded the U.S. market with products out of fear of possible tariffs further driving up prices. President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on spirits during his first term in office, and many companies fear a repeat. The industry is already fighting debilitating tariffs imposed by China, with shipments to the country dropping 75% in December.

Limited-edition packaging and targeted marketing are ways brands like Rémy Martin can boost sales while also creating consumer excitement around a product.