Hennessy V.S and Nas Catch a Wild Rabbit "Ride" in Latest Advertising Creative

03 Dec 2014 --- Hennessy V.S, the world's number-one selling Cognac, continues to break the mold with new national TV and digital creative for the Never stop. Never settle. campaign.

This is the latest in Hennessy's award-winning creative centered on the notion of pushing the limits of one's potential, which uses the Wild Rabbit as a metaphor for the most deeply felt personal dreams or inner drive that pushes one to succeed. It is also a value the brand has prioritized since inception nearly 250 years ago, through eight generations of the Hennessy family, seven generations of the Fillioux family master blenders, and the endless pursuit of creating the perfect Cognac, year after year.

In the new creative, Hennessy celebrates Nas and the award winning storyteller and legendary music icon's chase of his own Wild Rabbit. From his rise in 1990s New York City to dominance of the world stage as one of the greatest lyricists known to Hip Hop, Nas has never stopped in his pursuit to give voice and tell the stories of those less heard in American culture. Entitled "The Ride," the TV spot features narration by Nas and costume design by Jenny Gering, who dresses the cast in the FX series, The Americans. Set on a subway train traveling from Queensbridge to Madison Square Garden, we watch as Nas maneuvers attentively between the train cars as the decades progress, observing and capturing inspiration from everything and everyone around him to create the powerful stories he gives back in his music.

"For more than 20 years now, Nas has been driven by a central passion to tell the stories that need to be told – obstacles and commercial consequences be damned. His lyrics inventively capture universal truths about the human experience from a perspective too often ignored or misunderstood by the American mainstream. It's why Nas' music is so resonant and will likely remain so long after he's gone," said Rodney Williams, Senior Vice President of Hennessy USA. "Through this campaign, Hennessy celebrates Nas' continuing journey, and we hope to inspire our fans to consider and pursue their own Wild Rabbits."

Jonny Bauer, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Droga5 New York, the creative agency behind "The Ride," reiterated "The ethos of the Hennessy brand is knowing that the top is never high enough. It's about pushing the very limits of your potential. Nas truly embodies this spirit and hopefully our customers will feel we've relayed this in an engaging way."

The ads will air on cable television and online starting in December. Native advertising content will also run on New York Magazine's NYMag website teasing the new Hennessy commercial. The native piece will feature display and video ads and serve as a hub, linking New York Magazine readers to other "Evolution of New York" pieces. As a digital extension of the campaign on the Hennessy website, fans can engage with the artist's legacy through an interactive New York Subway Map showcasing the storied moments of Nas' career. The innovative campaign will incorporate Samba TV and the "finger-printing" technology embedded in Smart TVs, the first for a spirits brand. The technology allows Samba to serve digital ads to consumers across devices using the same IP address in real time. Specifically, the Hennessy ads will run on broadcast while consumers are also tuned into their digital devices, directing them to the Hennessy page to interact with the subway map.