Dive Brief:

• In celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Rémy Martin, owned by Rémy Cointreau, introduced the Mixtape Street Art Museum in collaboration with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, according to a press release.
• Street murals showcasing well-known DJs also feature augmented reality (AR) technology, which link to a series of mixtape events with iHeartMedia. The cognac brand has also released its VSOP Mixtape Volume 3, a limited-edition bottle equipped with a QR code that links to its tasting notes.
• The creative concept of the campaign was done by Fred & Farid New York and the murals were imagined by illustrator Xia Gordon. The campaign is build around the last in Rémy Martin’s three VSOP Mixtape limited-edition releases and supports the cognac’s positioning around hip-hop and Black culture.

Dive Insight:

The new campaign from Rémy Martin celebrates the libation’s connection to Black culture with a more expansive push than previous entries under the VSOP Mixtape umbrella. To highlight a major milestone for the hip-hop genre — which is generally thought to have been born in August 1973 — the latest effort spotlights eight DJs in major cities across the country. The mobile activation brings an extra layer to the effort, allowing consumers to interact more deeply with the campaign.

Each street mural focuses on a different DJ, including Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Spinderella, DJ Cocoa Chanelle, DJ Marley Marl, DJ Yella, DJ Jelly, DJ Jay illa and DJ Shortkut. In New York, murals have been installed around the city and will be in place until April. In the months ahead, murals will also appear in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco. Integrated QR codes will allow consumers to learn about each DJ and their impact on the music landscape. Consumers who scan the QR codes will also have the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to one of Rémy Martin Mixtape celebrations.

The limited-edition VSOP Mixtape Volume 3 continues a line of hip-hop related bottles. The first release was inspired by the birth of hip-hop, while the second took inspiration from classic mixtapes. 

Rémy Martin has long been involved in the contemporary music scene. In addition to the VSOP limited-editions, the cognac worked on creating an interactive experience for Usher’s Las Vegas residency.

Cognac is growing in popularity broadly and has a long connection to Black culture, with Black GIs having been exposed to the drink, which is distilled exclusively in the Cognac region of France, during both World Wars. During the 90’s, cognac began appearing in the lyrics of several popular rap tracks, leading to a growth in popularity, especially among Black Americans.