Hennessy Crowns LeBron James as the King of Cognac

For a friendship of epic proportions, Hennessy, the world’s leading cognac, and basketball legend LeBron James have teamed up in an unexpected way to launch a limited edition V.S. bottle. Created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, this social-first launch campaign marks their first collaboration and breaks the mould of what traditional celebrity partnerships look like, by keeping it authentic and letting LeBron lead the way.

Hennessy and LeBron James, both leaders in their respective fields, share more than just a commitment to excellence. Their partnership is fuelled by a mutual drive to push boundaries, resulting in a collaboration that gives a fresh perspective on the typical brand-athlete dynamic. And to reinforce Hennessy’s legacy of being "Made for More", this campaign shifts away from traditional advertising for product launches, by tapping into internet tropes and memes created by LeBron’s fan communities. A series of humorous, self aware films see LeBron respond to this fan generated content, as he shares his own Hennessy journey, creating a sense of genuine connection with his followers whilst meeting them where they already are engaging online.

Here's how the campaign playfully responded to the cultural touchpoints that already exist; when the internet said LeBron only reads the first page of books, Hennessy created a book with a single page dedicated to our new friendship. Superstars are welcomed to new teams with an epic mural, so the brand welcomed King James to Team Hennessy with one in the heart of Cognac. When everyone saw LeBron couldn’t spin a basketball on his finger, he announced the limited edition bottle by spinning that on his finger. Maverick Carter put his knowledge of Hennessy to the test. And he passed with flying colours. The internet jokes that LeBron likes to cap, so Hennessy let him tell the story of his role in its history. And finally, he’s so into Hennessy that he even invented a basketball that makes cocktails.

"This campaign is about more than just a product launch," says Laetitia Laplace, global marketing vice president, at Hennessy. "Leaning into LeBron's unique personality, his distinctive voice on social media, and the internet lore around him, we allowed the world to witness this partnership through the most authentic lens possible: LeBron himself."

Zeynep Orbay and Evgeny Primachenko, creative directors, at W+K Amsterdam commented, "We wanted to create a campaign that leveraged Hennessy and LeBron’s cultural influence and how they resonate with fans. By engaging with conversations and cultural touchpoints that already exist we were able to bring a fresh, unexpected perspective to Hennessy. From a book responding to a meme to tease the partnership through to a basketball-turned-cocktail-shaker, we aimed to create content that was surprising, engaging, and truly unique.”

The campaign launched on 17th September, with teaser content up until the day of the bottle launch on 25th September. Multiple films then followed and on 13th November the tenth film - introducing the Shaker Ball - will go live.