LVMH-owned Hennessy?s promotion of its collaboration with the artist Kaws for a limited-edition bottle resulted in 1.3 million scans of the QR code that was created as part of the campaign.

One50one designed a custom-branded QR code to appear on all press releases announcing the collaboration between Kaws and Hennessy. The firm also built Hennessy a Kaws-branded mobile Web experience as the back-end of the QR code.

"We wanted to focus our communication in the spaces that both our consumers and Kaws' fans cohabitate," said Billy Paretti, vice president of marketing at Hennessy, New York. "Digital and mobile were key."

LVMH is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. Besides Hennessy, other brands under the LVMH umbrella include Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Moët et Chandon and Fendi. 

For Hennessy's promotion of its limited-edition bottle, QR codes were placed on the bottle itself and also on the press release for the wire, which is a first for a spirits brand.

?From a mobile perspective, including the QR code on all of their press releases allowed Hennessy to take people to another experience, so that it is more consumer-friendly,? said Troy Brown, president of one50one, Boston. ?It allowed Hennessy to create an interactive experience around the launch of this new bottle.?

The fact that the QR code for the press release was custom created, using colors from the bottle and an image of the actual product as well is also notable.  

The landing page that the QR code brought consumers to was http://hennessykaws.mobi. It works on all mobile devices.

Visitors can learn more about Kaws once on the site via a short video clip.

The video tells the story of how the Hennessy/ Kaws collaboration came about and what inspired the artist when he designed the bottle for the cognac company.

The mobile landing page lets visitors download the new Hennessy bottle?s label as a wallpaper for their phone. Additionally, consumers can learn about the different cocktails that can be made using Hennessy.

The bottle label has been downloaded 101,000 times since the start of the campaign.

The story behind Kaws and Hennessy's collaboration

The Facebook "Like" functionality is front and center on the mobile site and is a means for building up Hennessy?s social media status.

A VIP Club tab lets users register for email communications from Hennessy.

Another section of the mobile site lets users choose a region from a map to find out where the Kaws Hennessy Limited Edition bottles are sold.

"Why mobile?" Mr. Paretti said. "It is a medium that has proven very effective for us in other programming for the brand and it is overall a great way to build a network around a project like the Hennessy/Kaws collaboration."

LVMH is not new to the mobile space.

In 2009 Hennessy integrated various mobile initiatives into its Hennessy Artistry music campaign to engage consumers and build a loyal community of fans.

The mobile component was a multi-tiered plan also developed by one50one.

There was an online and mobile widget and a separate in-venue SMS strategy and execution during each concert, which allowed consumers to upgrade to VIP status within the venue, win exclusive signed prizes from music artists, as well as exclusive back stage meet and greets with artists (see story).

Additionally, LVMH brand Belvedere developed a mobile-social program to drive purchases of its Belvedere Pure, Pink Grapefruit and U80 beverages in major cities nationwide.

The campaign ran in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington and Los Angeles in April (see story).

At 96 percent wireless penetration in the United States, it is no wonder that LVMH has jumped aboard the mobile bandwagon.

For Hennessy?s most recent initiative with Kaws, the campaign did so well that The Maison has now decided to take the initiative to a global level.

"Our consumers love visual content and love to be engaged with detailed information about partnerships," Mr. Paretti said.

Final Take
Giselle Tsirulnik is senior editor on Mobile Marketer, New York