Mr Lyan Studio were engaged by Moët et Chandon to help build on their existing Champagne advocacy program, with a view to increasing the engagement and use of their Champagne in all quarters of the premium UK on-trade. The program had already seen success in the UK top 50, particularly in London. The challenge now was to build on this, scaling to bars outside of London and beyond the top tier.

Our work began with 360 degree research of the industry to understand attitudes towards sparkling wine amongst bar teams, along with their motivations and approaches for using it in cocktails. We interviewed a cross-section of bar teams, experts and stakeholders across the country, covering segments including luxury hotels, independents, neighbourhood bars, national groups and restaurant chains. 

We identified the main barriers to mixing with Champagne, from the practical (understanding how to use it creatively in cocktails, wastage fears) to the intangible (product and brand understanding, price and quality misconceptions).

This research helped inform a new central campaign idea - The Champagne Effect. An articulation of the transformational impact (experientially for guests and commercially for bars) Champagne has when used thoughtfully in cocktails.

Leveraging Mr Lyan's authority as creators of cocktails and operators of top-tier venues, we created co-branded sales toolkits targeted to different segments of the on-trade, addressing specific barriers and opportunities identified in the research, including:

• 9 bespoke cocktail serves, pitched at different levels of complexity, demonstrating the versatility and creative potential of Moët Brut Impérial

• A range of 5 bespoke tinctures, exploring the full flavour spectrum of Moët Brut Impérial (more details here)

• Advice on how to work with champagne in cocktails, e.g. during research and development, storage, measuring, listing on menus

• Data and insight supporting the commercial case for using Champagne in cocktails

The toolkits will be put into action in 2024, supported by a series of bartender-focused advocacy events to further communicate and cement The Champagne Effect amongst key accounts.

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Summary of scope:

• Trade and consumer research

• Positioning and value proposition

• Sales toolkits

• Signature serves and recipes