Hennessy Artistry, which celebrates diversity via the vibrant multiculturalism of music, celebrated its 4th anniversary this year. The brand wanted to step up its visibility and make the Hennessy Artistry events the undisputed "hottest ticket in town." This was immediately evident when Hennessy Artistry announced that the Hip Hop stars Common and The Roots would be curators of the 2009 series.

Working with both Hennessy and Alloy Marketing, HOT 97 and KISS FM created a multi-pillared campaign in which the common characteristic of each component was to make every customer experience a memorable one. Every interaction was designed to be personal, engaging, and meaningful.

Key station on-air personalities voiced the spots, aligning the brand with voices recognized and trusted by each stations audience. Mobile marketing in the form of text alerts and bounce back texts and Digital components in the form of newsletters and feature channels were also activated.

But it was two other solutions provided in the campaign that truly gave people—and the client—something to talk about. KISS FM attached Hennessy Artistry to a show headlined by K’JON, one of the hottest new artists on the R&B scene.

HOT 97 customized one of its monthly “Who’s Next” showcase events that are held NYC’s landmark live music venue SOB’s. The headliner was Consequence, a much buzzed about Hip Hop artist. At both events, the opening acts helped personify the very diversity and multiculturalism that Hennessy Artistry champions. In addition, mixology tables were set up each night, hosted by Hennessy brand ambassadors. Audience members were invited not just to sample the product but to choose from a variety of Hennessy cocktails. During this enhanced experience, consumers actually watched and learned how each drink was mixed.

Each event was hosted by a station personality, who delivered the Hennessy Artistry message live from the stage throughout the night. Furthermore, a logo loop was projected on the stage wall. This was crucial. While posters and banners can get lost and disappear in a crowded venue, especially when the lights go down, eyes are always on the stage.

Cameras and cell phones, too.

The night Consequence performed at the special Hennessy Artistry edition of HOT 97’s Who’s Next showcase, he was joined on stage by hit artists JOHN LEGEND and RYAN LESLIE. A sea of cell phones were raised high, all capturing the moment as Consequence and Legend performed their song, “Whatever It Takes,” together. Within hours, videos of the performance were available on the web.

For Hennessy, this meant that even after the event had ended, last call was over, and the club had emptied, the magic moment when Consequence and Legend performed together on stage in front of the Hennessy Artistry logo was garnering views from around the country. Around the world, even.

The other unique solution provided for this campaign involved a capability a client would never expect from a radio station: a “TV” show conceived specifically to help deliver its message. As such, this went beyond the now ubiquitous “product placement,” as the product was actually the show itself. In this case, a Hennessy Artistry interview program was produced . Filmed during off-hours at SOBs, the concept featured the HOT 97 morning show’s Peter Rosenberg as a bartender and the 3 Who’s Next artists as patrons. Over Hennessy cocktails, they talked about music, influences, other interests, and life, in general.

Nothing says “We’re not just selling radio” like “Let us produce a TV show for you.”

“Out of all the radio stations Alloy-Access worked with in conjunction with the Hennessy Artistry campaign, HOT 97 and KISS FM were the only stations in the US that created a concert series with emerging talent,” says Joseph Segarra of Alloy-Access. “No other station in the US delivered that for us. “We felt those shows created an amazing lead-up to the main Hennessy Artistry concert in New York later that month. The KISS and HOT 97 shows at SOBs allowed other artists who normally wouldn’t get to perform at the main event to showcase their talent to the brand. “For us,” Segarra concludes, “it’s more about the radio promotion than it is about the traditional spot buy. I wish that other radio stations nationally developed more platforms similar to those both HOT 97 and KISS brought us for this campaign.”