Pernod Ricard Reinvents Its Sector’s Codes and Unveils Project Gutenberg, A Prototype That Redefines The Cocktail Experience

28 Jan 2014 --- Pernod Ricard chose the occasion of its second Innovation Day to give a preview of Project Gutenberg, a prototype that aims to reinvent the at-home cocktail experience.

Conceived and developed by the Breakthrough Innovation Group (BIG), a Group-integrated start-up devoted to ground-breaking innovation, Project Gutenberg is revolutionising the “bar at home” concept. It will make way for a designer library, made up of “container books” each holding a sealed bottle of spirits, all connected to a service platform: from basic home delivery, automatically triggered according to the container level, to a whole range of tutorials about mixology (cocktail recipes, personalised offers, etc.) Project Gutenberg is redefining cocktail culture and turning it into a more accessible experience involving more expertise. Creating and inventing cocktails for friends becomes more intuitive and more entertaining.

“With Project Gutenberg, we are utterly committed to the conviviality of the future: an experience that is connected, entertaining, tailored and responsible… We are still only at a very early stage of the project but the potential of dedicated products, services, personalised offers and experiences is infinite,” said Alain Dufossé, BIG’s Managing Director.

Project Gutenberg (watch the video) was one of a hundred innovations presented by Pernod Ricard at its second Innovation Day (Top 100 innovation book) whose central theme was “The Conviviality of the Future”. A hundred or so independent developers also considered the same theme during the course of a hackathon organised within Ecole 42, which hosted the event. The entrepreneur Xavier Niel, designer and President of the school, participated in the launch of this new edition.

Innovation has been a central strategic focus of Pernod Ricard for almost four years. There are currently more than 350 projects undergoing development, and innovation accounts for almost 25% of organic sales growth.

Innovation at Pernod Ricard is applied to every area: products, services, experiences, consumption patterns, industrial technologies and processes. Its main objective is value creation, thus serving the historic strategy of premiumisation that was developed by the Group.

Within Pernod Ricard, innovation is also based on a true creative ecosystem:
- The Breakthrough Innovation Group (BIG): an internal start-up, developed to envisage and invent the future of our industry;
- The Kangaroo Fund: an internal investment fund whose purpose is to give Group employees the opportunity to develop their own ideas;
- Pernod Ricard Chatter: a corporate social network focused on innovation;
- A Research Centre and a community of Innovation Leaders.

Lastly, for Pernod Ricard innovation supports one ambition: becoming the leader in its sector, leadership being defined as the Company that challenges conventions and anticipates changes in order to rewrite the codes of its environment.

“Understanding, developing and imagining the conviviality of tomorrow - that is our aim,” said Pierre Pringuet, Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard. “The conviviality of the future is a connected conviviality: mobile, instant and exponential, with its main vehicle for dissemination being the digital revolution. We have never had so many digital friends. But ultimately, this conviviality must first and foremost allow us to come together to share new consumption occasions with new friends.”

In order to pre-empt these new forms of conviviality, the Group has therefore made public the launch of its digital project: the Digital Acceleration Roadmap. Enhancing consumer experience, creating new interaction thanks to social media, are some of the objectives assigned to this project.

“The digital revolution is a paradigm shift for our sector: for the first time, it allows producers such as us to engage in direct dialogue with consumers. It is a crucial challenge for the future of our industry,” said Alexandre Ricard, Deputy CEO of the Group.