Concept
The UK arm of French champagne house Moët & Chandon sought to educate Londoners about champagne and other sparkling wines. Events and public relations agency Cube Communications was chosen to execute the project, its brief being to create a wine school that would be relevant to both trade and consumer audiences.
Cube came up with The Moët Academy, an activation that recreated the experience of visiting Moët & Chandon's headquarters in Champagne, France, albeit on the River Thames at London's OXO2.
The experience
Guests embarked on a journey through four rooms. In the first, wine educator Johnny Gibson introduced them to the brand. He then led them onto the second room, featuring 20 vines from a Moët & Chandon vineyard. Using the vines and video displays, Gibson introduced guests to the vineyard's three varietals.
The recreated Moët cellars in the third room featured original props. It was here that guests tasted blended base wines and learnt about the wine-making process.
In the final room, visitors enjoyed a tasting masterclass of Moët champagne led by either Peter Richards or Susie Barrie, both Masters of Wine.
Success
Around 750 people visited the academy over the two weeks. The #moetacademy hashtag reached 115,000 people on social media, while the digital media campaign generated 801,864 impressions and 2,252 clicks, achieving an average click-through rate of 0.28%, higher than the industry benchmark of 0.09%.
Sonia Herschtel, senior brand manager at Moët & Chandon UK, says: "For the first time, a brand has brought the Champagne region to the heart of London and delivered an educational, fun experience."
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