Hennessy to sponsor music-based events.

Renowned cognac brand takes a natural step into music

By Ben Cardew

It is known among rappers as Henny, Henn Dog and Yak and has featured in songs from artists as diverse as Snoop Dogg, Art Brut and Justin Timberlake. It is also the world's oldest, and arguably best known, manufacturer of cognac.

Clearly, while many brands do their best to drive an association with music, Hennessy is already intricately linked.

So it should come as no surprise that the brand is now using music to promote its image globally: under the Hennessy Artistry banner the company sponsored a 15-date club tour of US cities this summer and recently held a night of live performances in New York, with The Strokes, Goldfrapp and Kanye West.

"Hennessy has been doing things with music, particularly in the US and China, and this was the natural step up," says Natasha Kizzie, head of entertainment at KLP, a London communications agency that developed both initiatives for Hennessy, as part of a 360-degree marketing campaign aimed at recruiting a new generation of adult consumers.

"More than any other premium spirit brand in the US, Hennessy has this relationship anyway, so it would be crazy not to work with this," she adds.