MEDIA-I: Moet kicks off digital drive with HK launch

<p>HONG KONG: Moet Hennessy Asia-Pacific has launched its first Asia </p><p>website to tap into the region's online consumer market. The company, </p><p>which has only used traditional marketing channels in the past, will now </p><p>integrate the web with its offline advertising and marketing </p><p>initiatives. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hong Kong is the first market the brand has chosen to launch its Asian </p><p>web strategy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to Moet Hennessy Asia-Pacific regional ebusiness development </p><p>manager, Margaret Yeung, the creative design for the Moet & Chandon </p><p>website was produced by D'Arcy Interactive, while the back-end technical </p><p>work was handled by Cycom Technology. "The main purpose of the localised </p><p>website is brand building to raise the online presence for the brand as </p><p>an extension of the offline image," said Yeung. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>She added that the website would target existing Moet consumers, as well </p><p>as young consumers interested in learning about wine and champagne. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The moet.com.hk website, available in English and Chinese, features Moet </p><p>downloads, information, TVCs and videos, print ads and posters, which </p><p>help produce a "three dimensional element to the brand", according to </p><p>Yeung. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We decided to launch the Hong Kong site first because it is the </p><p>headquarters for Moet Hennessy and it's where management is based and </p><p>most strategic instalments begin. There are, however, plans for a </p><p>regional roll-out, with all sites keeping to the same brand </p><p>orientation." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yeung said Moet was taking a cautious web approach. "We are approaching </p><p>the new media very carefully. There has been a lot of consolidation and </p><p>this has given brands a variety of agencies to choose from. We're </p><p>getting more and more web designers calling and emailing us because they </p><p>want to build our website and we are seeing prices fall. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"For our other web initiatives, we will be working with Ogilvy </p><p>Interactive because of their ability to integrate, create and take care </p><p>of the technical background. This is important because we have generally </p><p>seen a gap in the market with agencies that can handle the creative, but </p><p>not the technical back-end." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Moet Hennessy Asia-Pacific will launch a regional online and offline </p><p>promotion for Hennessy Pure White in coming weeks. "As one of our </p><p>youngest brands, it's a contemporary premium spirit that conveys new </p><p>attitude elements for the young and the young at heart." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The brand has launched an e-newsletter and incorporated rich media </p><p>elements into email campaigns to create an interactive relationship with </p><p>customers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It is also building partnerships with etailers and local portals. The </p><p>new domain will be featured on all advertising and will be displayed at </p><p>Moet outlets in Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>