Baron Otard’s golden rule for Chinese New Year

Bacardi is viewing the Chinese New Year of the Pig as a golden opportunity with the launch of a Baron Otard XO Gold Cognac limited-edition gift box. 

The elegant drop-shaped bottle is topped with a dimple-patterned gold stopper and housed in a luxurious golden tin. 

Baron Otard XO Gold Cognac

Royal heritage

Stamped with a plain mosaic-style pattern and minimalistic black embossed branding, the gift box includes a booklet sharing the royal story of Baron Otard. 

The one-liter and 70cl versions will hit the shelves from January, 2019. They will be available at key travel retail locations across Asia in partnership with 17 leading retailers.

They are: Anway (Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu border store locations), Delhi Duty Free (Delhi), DFS (Singapore), Dubai Duty Free (Dubai), Dufry (Bangalore), Eraman (Kuala Lumpur), Flemingo (Chennai and Kolkata), Hyderabad Duty Free (Hyderabad), King Power (Bangkok), Lagardère (Hong Kong), Lotte (Seoul), Maldives Airport (Maldives), Mumbai Duty Free (Mumbai), Shenzhen Duty Free (Shenzhen), Shilla (Seoul), Sunrise (Shanghai and Beijing), Zhuhai Duty Free (Zhuhai).

Vinay Golikeri, Senior Commercial Director, Bacardi Global Travel Retail, emphasized the need for innovation to fully exploit this regional gifting opportunity: “Chinese New Year is one of the biggest retail opportunities globally, with the largest human migration on the planet in a short period. It is Asia’s top seasonal gifting opportunity, making it more critical than ever that we present the customer with exceptional quality gifting solutions.

“Backed by its outstanding quality and remarkable heritage since 1795, Baron Otard has exceptional resonance among Asian consumers at the second stage of luxury, looking for brands and products that are rooted in luxury, quality and discernment.

“This new Baron Otard XO Gold gift presentation highlights Bacardi’s commitment to innovation and to creating travel retail exclusives that drive channel differentiation. We are delighted to partner with such a powerful array of retail partners who share our commitment to deliver compelling shopper experiences.”

Baron Otard XO Gold is aged in the historic cellars of Château de Cognac, birthplace of a French king and the home of Baron Otard since the founding of the brand in 1795.

With notes of black truffle and sandalwood, the Cognac offers hints of leather, damson, honey and the lightest touch of violets. Years of maturation yield balanced eaux-de-vie and give a prolonged, smooth finish.

Martell highlights the art of generosity

Pernod Ricard has collaborated with a French artist to launch a new Martell Cordon Bleu Limited Edition “infused with the spirit of generosity, curiosity and creativity that has defined the House of Martell since it was founded in 1715”.

Designed to be a gift to celebrate Chinese New Year, the bottle and box design was created in collaboration with French artist Mathilde de l'Ecotais to express the uniqueness of the Cognac, the company said. The design seeks to reflect the spirit and character of Martell.

Martell's The Art of Generosity campaign for Chinese New Year

A contemporary artist and photographer, de l'Ecotais’ partnership with Martell was formed on their shared values: a profound attachment to nature and the terroir, and the use of traditional craft of the bold and modern. Exploring the Cognac’s aromas and key character, she used cyanotype, a photographic printing process that involves a cyan solution applied to paper with a brush in order to create images revealed through exposure to sunlight. 

With its blue and gold coating, the bottle includes images of grapes and vine leaves overlaid with sweeping circular brush strokes to evoke the round, generous flavours of this Cognac. 

The new launch is built around the art of generosity. The gift can be kept on display for years to come with a pedestal included in the pack. To reveal the treasure within, the gift receiver must pull the blue ribbons on the side of the box to unveil the bottle and trigger their curiosity.

To mark the launch, an "exciting and innovative consumer experience set to ignite travellers’ imaginations and generosity" will launch on January 1, 2019 in key Martell airport stores.

Martell Cordon Bleu Limited Edition (one litre) is available in global travel retail, Asia, the US and the Pacific from December 2018. In parity with Martell Cordon Bleu standard, the retail price is $229.

Grey Goose unwraps holiday pop-up store

This holiday season, Grey Goose vodka is transforming New York JFK’s Terminal 4 into an immersive cocktail and shopping experience with drinks from New York’s top bartenders.

Bacardi Global Travel, in partnership with DFS Group, is bringing festive cheer to JFK T4 with a Grey Goose vodka pop-up, offering a selection of holiday offerings and innovative cocktails made for travellers in the terminal by several of New York’s most talented bartenders. They include Jillian Vose of Dead Rabbit, Evan Hawkins of Broken Shaker, Liana Oster of Dante and Channing Centeno of Otis. 

A Ferris wheel dominates the Grey Goose pop-up at New York JFK T4

Tailored messages

In product news, the new Grey Goose Holiday Tin features letter magnets that allow gift-givers to craft tailored messages. Alongside JFK, it is available exclusively in travel retail shops, priced at $45. 

The central feature of the JFK T4 space is an interactive illuminated Ferris wheel, prominently sited on the terminal concourse. The wheel features mini “chalets” that contain Grey Goose holiday cocktail recipes. Travellers are invited to discover the recipes by pulling a lever that opens the door to the chalet of their choice, allowing them to take a snap of the recipes to recreate at home. Those who purchase the Holiday Tin will be handed a key that opens a hidden compartment in the chalet, revealing a gift.

Mike Birch, Managing Director and Vice President - Global Travel Retail and Commercial Development, Bacardi, said: “The creativity in this engagement helps people get to know what makes Grey Goose the most recommended premium-plus vodka by bartenders, and will inspire them in their own cocktail-making. A bottle of Grey Goose is sold every 13 seconds in global travel retail, and we believe that global travel retail is an important brand-building channel. Key to that is giving consumers fantastic brand experiences on their travels that they’ll remember long after they’ve left the airport, influencing future purchase decisions as well as increasing airport sales.”

Indian travellers celebrate Diwali with Dewar’s

Dewar's Scotch whisky lit up the Diwali festival period in November with a high-profile campaign spanning 12 airports in eight countries across Asia and the Middle East.

The gifting campaign centred on a Diwali-themed gift tin for Dewar’s 18yo blended Scotch whisky. 

The two-month promotion during October and November targeted the significant surge in traffic driven by Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. With support from nine leading travel retail partners, the campaign celebrated Diwali at a dozen airports across India and South East Asia.

Dewar's celebrates the festival of light at 12 airports

Powerful reputation in Indian market

The in-store and online campaign was built on the theme of Celebrate With the Most Celebrated, reflecting the position of Dewar’s as the world’s most-awarded whisky and its powerful reputation in the Indian market.

Echoing the design of the Dewar’s 18yo limited-edition presentation box, the in-store promotion adopted the use of copper tones and the beautiful intricacy of traditional Jaali and Rangoli patterns and motifs. The displays incorporated concealed light fittings to signal Diwali greetings, including glow boxes atop the gondola displays, back-illuminated displays and product presentation box shells fitted with LED lights.  

Using the symbolism of India’s national bird, the in-store centrepiece was a peacock display where shoppers were provided with frames and selfie sticks and invited to share their photos online using the campaign’s hashtag #CELEBRATEDIWALIWITHDEWARS. Shoppers could also light an LED diya to place on the display, signifying the small oil lamp traditionally lit to mark the festival period, and make a wish. 

The promotion’s key gwp was a set of four copper-toned metallic coasters, stored in the 18yo presentation tin. The circular coasters were created in an intriguing wire design that transformed into tealight candleholders, further reflecting the traditional lighting of the diya.

Vinay Golikeri, Senior Commercial Director, Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “The scale and quality of this Dewar’s campaign provides an engaging shopper experience and a powerful expression of partnership between Bacardi and our retail partners. We are delighted to have the support of ARI, Delhi Duty Free, DFS, Dubai Duty Free, Dufry, Eraman, Flemingo, King Power International Group and Qatar Duty Free.”

The 12 airport locations and retail partners hosting the activation were: Changi (DFS), Kuala Lumpur (Eraman), Bangkok (King Power), Delhi (Delhi Duty Free), Mumbai (Flemingo), Bangalore (Dufry), Chennai (Flemingo), Kolkata (Flemingo), Dubai (Dubai Duty Free), Muscat (ARI), Qatar (Qatar Duty Free), and Bahrain (ARI).

Davidoff sports a pigtail for Chinese New Year

Davidoff is marking the Chinese Year of the Pig with limited-edition cigars and accessories.

The Gran Toro cigar with its proud pigtail is wrapped in a shiny and oily Dominican wrapper from the Yamasá area and develops smooth notes of pepper and wood once lit. 

Davidoff's Year of the Pig limited edition

Collectible Asian-inspired box

The Sumatra binder from Mexico and the well-aged filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic create a refined and balanced blend. Notes of liquorice, cream, vanilla, leather and spice were developed to please the big-hearted, determined personality of the pig, according to Davidoff.

The special edition is limited to 9,300 boxes worldwide, and comprises 10 Gran Toro cigars presented in a prestigious, lacquered Asian-inspired red box, designed to be collectible. 

The pig is represented by a simple and elegant graphic icon executed in gold, and the box contains a paper insert with the Year of the Pig story.

Davidoff has also introduced a special-edition Year of the Pig ashtray and double-blade cutter.

Inspired by the pig’s shape, the Italian-made round aluminum ashtray is enclosed with vibrant, grained, red leather to strikingly contrast the ashtray’s rich mocha color. 

In keeping with the pig’s generous nature, the ashtray has a holder for two cigars. The Davidoff logo is engraved on the metal and it comes in a limited numbered edition of 300 pieces.

The lightweight, German-made slim cutter is engraved with the elegant pattern. It will cut from a 22 to a 58 ring gauge and is made available in a limited number of 300 pieces.

The cigars and accessories were available at selected Davidoff appointed merchants and flagship stores from November 2018.