• by Emily Burg , October 6, 2006

Wine and spirits group Moet Hennessy has extended its use of music-themed brand-building with a free digital music download promotion across the Southwestern U.S., designed to entice English and Spanish-speaking consumers.

The campaign involves the distribution of 50,000 cards depicting images of five of Moet Hennessy's top-shelf brands--Grand Marnier, 10 Cane Rum, Navan, Belvedere and Hennessy Cognac. Each card offers up to five free music selections, which customers can download from a Web site for the promotion.

"We have always been cognizant of what is relevant to our consumers and see the digital music cards as a way to talk with them in a contemporary way that also conveys our luxury wine and spirits position in the U.S.," Tim Norris, director of marketing for Moet Hennessy's Southwest Region, said in a statement.

The Spanish version of the campaign, executed with two Spanish-language cards promoting Hennessy Cognac, directs customers to a Spanish-language music store featuring Reggaeton (Spanish-language reggae-beat music). The main Hennessy.com Web site is bilingual.

"The Spanish music store was key for us because Hennessy is a brand that enjoys consumer consumption across ethnic and multicultural lines, and the Hispanic market is a big market for us," Norris said.

The campaign is led by Promotional Currency of Dallas, a digital entertainment marketing firm.

Hennessy, part of the Louis Vuitton luxury goods family, has been focusing on music promotions over the past few months, sponsoring the 15-city Hennessy Artistry Music Tour. Billed as "a celebration of the art of mixing," the tour culminates in an Oct. 17 concert in New York headlined by Kanye West. The concert series has been promoted on the HennessyArtistry.com Web site, which offers free music downloads of music specifically commissioned for the tour, and via a VIP-access contest that gave away tickets to the show.