Who Wouldn't Want Free Product Placement?
Katie Bastian
In 2003, Cristal was the most mentioned drink in pop music. Artists such as
Jay-Z, Sean Combs, Snoop Dog, Kanye West and Trina have mentioned the champagne in their lyrics. The hip-hop world has given free publicity to this company for over a decade. http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=2780
Recently, Frederic Rouzoud, Managing Director of Louis Roederer, parent company of Cristal Champagne, says that the attention his product has received in rap songs is unwelcome. In a special summer issue of The Economist magazine, the interviewer asked if the association between Cristal and the "bling lifestyle" could be detrimental. Rouzaud replied, "That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it.” On it’s own website, http://www.champagne-roederer.com/ Cristal is described as “elegant.”
Don’t “elegance” and “bling” go hand in hand?
The goal should be to sell more bottles, not to create negative publicity for your product. It’s obvious that this company wants to reposition their brand to appeal to a different demographic. Marketers spend hours behind the scenes designing campaigns they hope will appeal to their target demographic. So, how do you go about repositioning your brand without alienating customers that have been loyal for years?
I guess we shouldn’t ask Cristal, who has high profile artist, Jay-Z, vowing not to support any of Frederic Rouzoud/Louis Roederer products through any of his brands or in his personal life.