Hip Tastes Blog

Say What?
filed under: Ramblings

Most of the cocktail-sipping world will immediately recognize the name "Grand Marnier" as one of the preeminent top-shelf liqueurs your hard-earned paycheck can buy. At about $70 a bottle for the entry-level version of the orange-flavored liqueur, it's hardly cheap stuff. But even the cognac cognoscenti may not be aware that the renowned producer of the stuff, owned by French luxury goods group LVMH,

has begun selling a special bottling of Grand Marnier commemorating the 150th anniversary of its founding called Cuvee du Cent Cinquantenaire. The price tag for Cuvee du Cent Cinquantenaire is sure to make even the most spendthrift of connoisseurs balk: it clocks in at about $250.

Even more over the top is the marketing campaign parent company LVMH has unveiled to sell the stuff stateside: it essentially plays upon the fact that few consumers can actually pronounce the French liqueur's name. Seriously. Initially released in 1977 to commemorate the Marnier-Lapostolle company's 1827 founding, the exorbitantly priced liqueur has until now not been marketed in the US. NY-based creative agency Walrus is behind the campaign, which strove to capitalize on the product's exclusivity in its marketing. Not surprising for a spirits company commandeered by the world's leading luxury goods company. Advertisements' taglines will read "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive." Yes indeed.

Advertising aficionados are split over whether the difficult-to-pronounce name will lead to more intrigue and therefore greater demand or will simply result in intimidation. In other words, there is certainly a school of folks in the US of A that would prefer to stick with the familiar. Macaroni and cheese and MceeDees, thank you very much. Not so with luxury consumers, hope Grand Marnier marketers. Robert Passikoff, president of New York consumer research firm Brand Keys told the New York Times that "If you can't pronounce the name, all of a sudden it becomes something that's slightly less attainable for the consumer and it becomes more desirable." Hmm. That hasn't been the case for other products with tough-to-say names such as "Daewoo" (cars), and "Ephedrine" (weight loss), but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

Oh, and for those who've read this entire piece and still can't figure out how to say the liqueur's name, a rep for Grand Marnier offered this phonetic tip: "CuVAY doo san sin-khan-ten-air." Now do you feel like spending $250 for a sip of orange-flavored exclusivity? Nor do I.

www.grandmarnier.com

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Posted by Courtney on October 13, 2005 01:22 PM