Martell soars high in Nigeria
As one of Pernod Ricard’s Prestige brands, Martell has a key role to play in helping the Group get more from the core by accelerating its portfolio. Using data-driven insights, the brand identified awareness deficiencies among consumers and tailored an African campaign to address them directly. Capitalising on key trends identified by Pernod Ricard, the brand’s “Be the Standout Swift” campaign achieved jaw-dropping engagement results.
Forging local connections
While Sub-Saharan Africa represents a promising growth opportunity for Pernod Ricard brands, consumer preferences in the region support new strategies that de-westernise cool and embed brands in the local culture. For Martell, key data insights gleaned from the Conviviality Platform showed that the brand needed to establish strong spontaneous awareness in the cognac category and differentiate itself from other premium cognacs. To connect with the African luxe consumer and overcome these challenges, the brand selected Nigerian-American afrobeats star Davido to front its newest campaign, “Be the Standout Swift,” locally.
Connecting with fans
“Be the Standout Swift” launched in Nigeria in October 2021 and was an immediate hit, with the campaign video generating more than 1 million views in its first six days on Youtube. The TV Ad was ranked number #2 among 13,000 TV Ads globally in the TV TOP 10 category ahead of a diverse range of brands, categories and markets. Davido’s subsequent visit to Paris and the Martell Maison in Cognac provided a rich array of lifestyle content for his 24.8 million Instagram followers, who he educated about Martell and key moments of consumption, making them a part of the insider experience. Martell ultimately saw purchase intent skyrocket by almost 92%, demonstrating the campaign’s overwhelming success in forging authentic connections with luxe consumers in Nigeria. Buoyed by this success, Martell intends to continue to create rich lifestyle content with Davido, further entrenching the brand in local culture and forging authentic connections with consumers.
“To make Martell more culturally relevant to different audiences, we are building brand awareness by forging authentic connections with different local tastemakers. A star in Nigeria whose popularity bypasses African borders, Davido’s own ethos, ‘we rise by lifting others,’ mirrors Martell’s ‘audacity shapes legacy,’ and our partnership resonates with consumers because he is authentic, resilient and unapologetically himself. It is a perfect example of how we’re using our growth model to build effective campaigns thanks to insights and data.”
Sola Oke,Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Western Africa