After hitting Chicago last month with a mixology demonstration and interactive installations, Hennessy brought the launch of its latest campaign to Highline Stages on Thursday, April 5. The cognac house's new initiative, which is dubbed "Wild Rabbit" and targets a younger demographic with the idea of chasing dreams, involves high-profile names like singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese, and boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. As such, Hennessy's private shindig in New York flaunted those famous faces, putting Badu, along with surprise guests Timbaland and Missy Elliott, onstage for a live performance.
Before the musical acts, the brand partnered with Scorsese to present $250,000 to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at a V.I.P. reception. Proceeds from a silent auction of prints by campaign photographer Frank Ockenfels were also donated.
Plenty of visual cues to the cognac label and its campaign filled the event, including signage on the step-and-repeat and carpet for arrivals, specialty cocktails in glassware and listed on menus marked with the Hennessy logo, and brand ambassadors.
