Dexter King
Moët Hennessy
What He Does: King uses unique events to market Moët Hennessy’s top-level cognacs X.O., Paradis, and Richard, as well as pricier limited-edition varieties. As senior brand ambassador, King works on about 100 events of all sizes all over the country annually, and his specialty is intimate events targeted to high-end groups apropos of the cognacs he markets, which retail for $120 to $1,800 per bottle.
Celebrating With Celebrities: King coordinates lavish celebrations for brand-appropriate celebrities for Paradis (“urban sophisticates,” he calls them), whose photos show up on the wire in front of logo-covered step-and-repeats the next day. Most recently, he put on the August release party for Kanye West’s album Late Registration—which included a dinner for approximately 40 guests, followed by a larger after-party at the Foundry in Long Island City.How He Gets Connected: “The great thing is that it usually works two ways—sometimes artists approach us and sometimes we approach artists,” says King, who builds relationships with celebrities, agencies, labels, and media insiders so he knows about significant events (album or movie releases, awards) and can piggyback his company’s events on them. “The biggest thing is to remain accessible to the right people, follow up on relationships, and understand pop culture so that we can make educated decisions about whom we should associate
with.” (King says Moët Hennessy does not pay celebrities outright.)
How He Measures ROI: That can be particularly tricky to calculate in hard numbers—but King believes it’s significant. “How can I measure doing an event with Kanye West that builds a strong relationship with him and results in press coverage for the event? What about when I add on the fact that Hennessy is [mentioned] in two or three of his songs on a multiplatinum
album?”
His Other Programs: King, who created brand-building programs at the Coca-Cola Company before joining Moët Hennessy in 2003, runs the “Taste of Luxury” cognac tastings for multiethnic groups of editors and high-end consumers in seven cities around the country, as often as 10 times a year in each city. Moët Hennessy collects feedback at these events by asking guests to
fill out questionnaires tucked under their tasting mats in exchange for their gift bags. And new for this year are events that invite 15 to 20 influencers in the beverage trade—food and beverage directors at venues, trade press—to blend their own cognacs and take away personalized bottles.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photo: Ray Tamarra/Getty Images (King)
Moët Hennessy
What He Does: King uses unique events to market Moët Hennessy’s top-level cognacs X.O., Paradis, and Richard, as well as pricier limited-edition varieties. As senior brand ambassador, King works on about 100 events of all sizes all over the country annually, and his specialty is intimate events targeted to high-end groups apropos of the cognacs he markets, which retail for $120 to $1,800 per bottle.
Celebrating With Celebrities: King coordinates lavish celebrations for brand-appropriate celebrities for Paradis (“urban sophisticates,” he calls them), whose photos show up on the wire in front of logo-covered step-and-repeats the next day. Most recently, he put on the August release party for Kanye West’s album Late Registration—which included a dinner for approximately 40 guests, followed by a larger after-party at the Foundry in Long Island City.How He Gets Connected: “The great thing is that it usually works two ways—sometimes artists approach us and sometimes we approach artists,” says King, who builds relationships with celebrities, agencies, labels, and media insiders so he knows about significant events (album or movie releases, awards) and can piggyback his company’s events on them. “The biggest thing is to remain accessible to the right people, follow up on relationships, and understand pop culture so that we can make educated decisions about whom we should associate
with.” (King says Moët Hennessy does not pay celebrities outright.)
How He Measures ROI: That can be particularly tricky to calculate in hard numbers—but King believes it’s significant. “How can I measure doing an event with Kanye West that builds a strong relationship with him and results in press coverage for the event? What about when I add on the fact that Hennessy is [mentioned] in two or three of his songs on a multiplatinum
album?”
His Other Programs: King, who created brand-building programs at the Coca-Cola Company before joining Moët Hennessy in 2003, runs the “Taste of Luxury” cognac tastings for multiethnic groups of editors and high-end consumers in seven cities around the country, as often as 10 times a year in each city. Moët Hennessy collects feedback at these events by asking guests to
fill out questionnaires tucked under their tasting mats in exchange for their gift bags. And new for this year are events that invite 15 to 20 influencers in the beverage trade—food and beverage directors at venues, trade press—to blend their own cognacs and take away personalized bottles.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photo: Ray Tamarra/Getty Images (King)
