Pernod Ricard rides on content for its global corporate campaign ‘Be a convivialist'

French alcobev major Pernod Ricard has banked upon content to launch its first major global corporate campaign, except in France, titled ‘Be A Convivialist!’, which is  aimed at encouraging people to exercise more conviviality in a world that’s becoming less and less friendly.

As the campaign’s centrepiece, Pernod Ricard has unveiled a 10-minute documentary ‘The Power of Conviviality’, directed by Elephant At Work. Filmed without professional casting, it collates the vibrant testimonies of people of all origins from around the world, evoking the importance of what conviviality means to them; and the shared moments they define as true and authentic, which are a source of honest joy.

The film crew travelled to 12 destinations around the world, recording everything from millennials meeting at a karaoke bar in Shanghai, friends sharing a night out in Marseille, guests at a chic dinner in New Orleans, to New Year's Eve in Berlin, a beach aperitif in Tulum (Mexico), a Brooklyn bar, and a wedding in Goa. Every occasion underlined the universal need these moments fulfil in a hyper-connected world where we no longer take the requisite time to meet in real life.

Pernod Ricard has collected this content on a dedicated platform, theconvivialists.com, for everyone who would like to become a convivialist, that is, people who excel at being friendly, meeting people and sharing.

The platform offers:

• The portraits of each protagonist in the documentary.
• A manifesto for a more convivial world.
• The complete results of the OpinionWay study.
• Editorial content that analyses mankind’s need to be convivial.

 On the distribution front, Pernod Ricard has partnered with Vice to promote and disseminate the conviviality campaign. ‘The Power of Conviviality’ documentary will be promoted on several of the platform’s social networks, especially in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. Moreover, with Vice’s help, Pernod Ricard is developing a series of reports from around the world by reporter Laurence Cornet and photographer Stéphane Lavoué (Niepce Award 2018), who is a portraitist for the New York Times,  The Times in the UK, Le Figaro and Le Monde. They use their respective talents in the pursuit of conviviality, meeting people who are true ambassadors for sharing and authenticity within their communities.

Filmed over several months, the journey takes the reader to a small island in Ireland to discover the secrets of a legendary pub, meets a community of surfers lost between the Pacific and the Amazon in Colombia, on to Cuba, where friendliness is a true religion, to a strange kingdom in Italy, and to China among a community of women living on the steps of the Himalayas.

Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, said, “There’s a real yearning for connection and sharing in today’s world. Convivialité is more than just a corporate value for Pernod Ricard, it’s our raison d’être — and it’s proudly embodied every day by our 19,000 employees across the globe. This mindset echoes the lifelong motto of my grandfather Paul Ricard, who launched an invitation to all his employees to ‘make a new friend every day’.”

For several years, the company has made ‘Creators of Conviviality’ its vision and signature. Yet today more than ever, conviviality seems to be in decline around the world. These were the findings of a global survey conducted by OpinionWay in 11 countries on five continents with nearly 11,500 respondents. The results formed the basis of the Group’s 360-degree corporate campaign launch.

Some of the findings of the survey:

• 91% of those surveyed believe conviviality to be a source of well-being.
• 61% of them believe the world is less friendly than five years ago.
• Most pessimistic are the French at 82%, followed by Germans at 73%.
• More alarming, 67% of millennials (18-34 years) regret meeting their friends less and less, due to social networks.
• Today’s champions of conviviality are Mexicans, followed in the Top 5 by Spain, Brazil, China and India. France does not appear in the Top 10.

The Film:

With leading brands in each segment, the Indian arm of Pernod Ricard holds one of the most comprehensive and Premium portfolios in the industry led by Indian whiskies such as Royal Stag, Blenders' Pride and Imperial Blue, along with the home grown Wine sold under the brand name Nine Hill and Indian vodka - Fuel. The company also distributes some of the leading international brands including Chivas Regal, Seagram’s 100 Pipers, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet and Royal Salute Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey ABSOLUT Vodka, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin among white spirits category, Martell  cognac, Jacob Creek wine, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs and G.H. Mumm champagne.