INDUSTRY:

Luxury & Alcohol

CLIENT:

HENNESSEY

YEAR:

2024-2025

EXPERIENCE:

Social Lead

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Hennessy's Made for More - Refreshing a Legacy Spirit Online

challenge.

After decades of cultural dominance as the urban spirit of choice, Hennessy was facing a quiet but urgent challenge: heritage wasn’t enough. While the brand had legacy, prestige, and long-standing equity in Black and Latin communities, it was losing relevance to tequila, ready-to-drink cocktails, and the speed of modern culture.

The “Made For More” platform was introduced to evolve that perception — but simply launching a new campaign wasn’t enough. One-off activations couldn’t scale. Recap reels didn’t expand reach. Internally, Hennessy struggled to translate its global identity into something that felt personal, current, and culturally fluent — especially across diverse U.S. audiences.

We weren’t just asked to build a social strategy. We were asked to help reintroduce Hennessy to a new generation — one that doesn’t care how long you’ve been around unless you’re showing up with purpose now.

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my role.

We knew “Made For More” had to move beyond legacy and lean into lived experience. We shifted the strategy away from top-heavy hero moments and toward a new playbook that prioritized community, culture, and collaboration.

I led strategic pivots, such as ‘1+1=3’ — a belief that culture moves fastest when creators, communities, and brands collaborate. I also introduced Made for Más — a culturally-specific storytelling approach grounded in my research on Latin audience insights, drinking rituals, and celebration cues.

We redefined the recap reel — transforming event coverage into shareable, remixable, always-on content. Lo-fi reels, creator POVs, and platform-native moments became the new front door to the brand. And with every move, we made sure Hennessy felt lighter, fresher, and more human — without losing its core.

results.

We led social-first strategy across Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, and YouTube, activated key cultural moments like NBA All-Star Weekend and Dreamville Fest, produced lo-fi and hero video content, WNBA integrations, influencer POVs, and surprise talent moments, and rolled out high-shareability content tailored to Instagram reshares and DMs.

Resulting in…

  • +473% YoY total engagements at NBA ASW

  • +185% Reach growth

  • +363% YoY engagement at Dreamville with a 63% engagement rate

  • Established new TOV across all social channels

Curious about what we can create together?
Let’s bring something extraordinary to life!

Available For Work

millenniumwatkins@gmail.com

Elijah Watkins ©2025

Curious about what we can create together? Let’s make magic

Available For Work

millenniumwatkins@gmail.com

Elijah Watkins ©2025

Curious about what we can create together?
Let’s bring something extraordinary to life!

Available For Work

millenniumwatkins@gmail.com

All rights reserved, YUYA ©2024