Abstract
Armand de Brignac is champagne produced by the award-winning Cattier family, which has owned and cultivated vineyards in the Montage de Reims Terroir in the French Champagne region since 1763. Armand de Brignac Brut Gold is pressed from a perfectly balanced blend of three distinct vintages of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; the three varieties of grapes allowed in genuine Champagne. All grapes are selected from Premier and Grand Cru-rated villages in the three historic terroirs of Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs. While many producers of Champagne are increasingly using larger, valve-driven presses, Armand de Brignac employs a traditional Champenois Coquart which ensures a slow and high-quality yield from carefully hand-sorted grapes. Only the first pressing of the harvest is used, classifying Armand de Brignac as a Prestige Cuvée. A prestige cuvée contains the richest wine from each harvest, enabling the Champagne to become more complex and delicate at it ages.
This product was originally intended for the American market, though the sales of Champagne Cattier to our trans-Atlantic neighbor declined. At that time, the management had thought that a more distinguished and "old fashioned" French name could help raise sales. However at the end of the 80s the brand practically disappeared because of unpopularity and a poor communication policy. How then, may we explain the success of Armand de Brignac today?
Armand de Brignac Brut Gold is the champagne of choice of the hip-hop superstar Jay Z, and the instantly recognizable bottle became a luxury status symbol in the rap community after the mogul featured it in his music video “Show me what you got”, “Blue Magic” and “Roc Boys”. Jay Z made the switch to Armand from Cristal Roederer, which once appeared frequently in his music videos and lyrics, in the wake of a scandal surrounding a statement made by the chief of Roederer Frédéric Rouzaud, in a profile in the Economist. When asked about the effect that its Hip-Hop associations might have on the Cristal Brand, Rouzaud told the magazine “We can't forbid people from buying it… I'm sure Dom Pérignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business”. This quote appeared in the Economist under the heading “Unwelcoming Attention”, and was received as racist by Jay Z and several other artists, who spoke out against Cristal brand in the press, and took their business elsewhere.
Performers, who have since featured Armand de Brignac Brut Gold in videos and lyrics, include Fabulous, Beanie Siegel and Jamie Foxx. Today, AdB has taken its revenge from the past, and has just been rewarded “Best Champagne of the World” by the Fine Champagne Magazine. Furthermore, it is an innovative product coming from a limited domain, which encapsulates the perfect combination of quality and presentation at the same time. The packaging is also original, thanks to a gold bottle and a logo featuring the Ace of Spades (symbol of power, wealthy and leadership). All these characteristics are used as a competitive advantage and help attract consumers.
Tags: Armand de Brignac, Champagne
