Last year, many brands pivoted their marketing efforts to reach consumers where they were—at home. From cocktail kits to recipe-heavy websites to quirky direct-to-consumer stunts like the Pepsi Spa Kits (which included an exfoliating cola-scented sugar scrub, a Pepsi Blue face mask and a cola-scented bath bomb), companies aimed to elevate at-home entertaining experiences.
And while in-person events are (or perhaps were) slowly coming back online, the rise in coronavirus cases has put another temporary halt on some IRL gatherings. Fortunately, the at-home entertaining trend is still going strong.
For example, HBO Max and Moët Hennessy recently joined forces to pair the streaming service's content with Moët Hennessy drinks, providing cocktail and food ideas, as well as decor and music recommendations themed around the shows, all under the entertaining-at-home platform called “Watch, Sip, Enjoy.”
In June, for the premiere of In the Heights, viewers were able to access tips on how to create a movie-inspired party with recipes for drinks such as Moët sangria and small bites like empanadas and tostones, plus a Spotify playlist with tracks from the film’s original cast recording. In conjunction with florist competition show Full Bloom, Moët Hennessy promoted its newly launched Chandon Garden Spritz, offering viewers recipes and tips for hosting a pool- or garden-side aperitif, with masterclasses on creating, preserving and tablescaping a flower arrangement, led by series contestant Lutfi Janania.
“This idea was developed from our mission to continually help people craft memorable experiences and was a natural extension of the shift in behavior that we saw in 2020—people staying at home, watching films and TV, and looking for ways to elevate their at-home experiences by experimenting with new food and drink recipes,” explained Chad Stubbs, senior vice president of marketing for Moët Hennessy. “This trend has not slowed, and as we’ve leaned into the entertaining-at-home space, we decided that a first-to-market partnership with a premium streaming company would be the perfect embodiment of this.”
The yearlong partnership will continue to align Moët Hennessy brands such as Belvedere, Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Volcan de mi Tierra and others with Max Original content, including the upcoming competition series The Hype and Moët's new Glenmorangie X, a single malt scotch designed for mixing. Starting this month, in addition to cocktail ideas, viewers will be able to explore recipes for popular street foods turned into hors d’oeuvres.
In conjunction with florist competition show Full Bloom, Moët Hennessy promoted its newly launched Chandon Garden Spritz, offering viewers recipes and tips for hosting a pool- or garden-side aperitif, with masterclasses on creating, preserving and tablescaping a flower arrangement, led by series contestant Lutfi Janania.Screenshot: moethennessyxhbomax.com
“When discussions of the partnership first began, we were at the height of the pandemic lockdown. We wanted to give people a way to celebrate at home, get lost in the world of a series or film and discover new tricks to unlock joy and creativity from the comfort of their couch," explained Andrew Meengern, director of originals marketing for HBO Max. “As we continue to move forward, we want to highlight the importance of celebrations, both big and small, giving family and friends the playbook for a successful gathering.”
Back in August 2020, just in time for Labor Day weekend, Patrón introduced its Margarita Smart Coaster by Barsys to help teach at-home hosts how to make tequila-based cocktails. The limited-edition kit included the Barsys “smart coaster,” two branded rocks glasses, a custom tajín salt rimmer, lime squeezer and shaker. (The tequila needed to be purchased separately.) Enabled by Barsys Smart Bar technology, the coaster connects directly to smartphones through an app and guides the user on how to precisely measure each cocktail ingredient as it’s poured.
“We saw it as a unique way to bring a new value to aspiring mixologists in a year when making cocktails at home became the norm,” said Chloe Lloyd-Jones, V.P. of marketing at Patrón, North America. “Our goal is to keep people connected and provide them with memorable experiences, leveraging new technology to interact, engage and educate from the comfort of their own homes. With people spending more time doing just this and less time going out, we collaborated with Barsys to find a way to elevate the at-home cocktail experience by providing innovative technology and tools to create high-quality and unique margarita and tequila recipes no matter when or where,” she added.
The brand also offers over 540 cocktail recipes through CocktailLab.com, and the “Ask Patrón” feature via Google Home provides consumers with cocktail suggestions and tips, gift recommendations, tequila facts and more.
“People have spent a lot of time in their homes in the past 1.5 years. They’ve invested in them and have gotten accustomed to this time at home, hosting close friends and family. This is not going away, and they continue to look for ways to elevate these moments and make them special, which is why we developed this first-to-market partnership,” Stubbs said about the collaboration with HBO Max.
The Bacardĺ Summer Friday Deluxe Kit includes the brand’s new Real Rum Canned Cocktails, palm-print sunglasses, a branded T-shirt, paddle ball set, beach towel, a fruity can drink floatie and a custom scratch-off calendar that includes discount codes and out-of-office inspiration.Photo: Courtesy of Bacardĺ
