Cover Richard Black, marketing director of Maison Martell
Richard Black, marketing director of Maison Martell
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Having arrived in Malaysia back in 1894, Richard Black, the marketing director of maison Martell explains how Martell markets its heritage
Last year, Martell celebrated 130 years in the local scene—a proud milestone for the maison since its first arrival on our shores via Penang. To mark the occasion, the brand threw an extravagant dinner with key figures from its headquarters in attendance. During our conversation with marketing director Richard Black, we learned how the brand adapts to the times to remain relevant in an ever-evolving market.
“Malaysia is our second most important market globally in terms of value, and we’re here to celebrate a major milestone; people really love cognac here, it’s respected, and enjoyed with local food, plus there’s a lot of activities around it that see the younger generations gaining a liking for the spirit,” shared Black.
Read more: The Martell brothers on upholding the legacy of the renowned cognac
Above Black believes that while heritage gives a brand great credibility, savoir-faire, and know-how, a brand exists only if it continues to reinvent itself
Black believes that while heritage gives a brand great credibility, savoir-faire, and know-how, a brand exists only if it continues to reinvent itself
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As trends change, however, how has a brand that’s proud of its heritage managed to flow with the times? “Heritage gives you great credibility, savoir-faire, and know-how, but a brand exists only if it continues to reinvent itself. If you maintain the status quo, it simply won’t keep up. What we do is build on the success of the brand’s past heritage and create new products and new ways to do things,” explained Black, who started out in Pernod Ricard working on the Irish whiskey label Jameson.
Among the new and exciting products and experiences crafted by Martell are the Single Cru offerings, focusing on specific terroirs of the French region. Additionally, there was the Swift music festival, featuring both local and international acts, and the brand’s relatively recent inclusion into the Sandbox metaverse that allows gamers to explore the world of Martell in an exciting, immersive way like never before, to name just a few.
See also: Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng is Martell Noblige’s new ambassador
Above The Les Remarquables de Martell-Edition Laurentine Perilhou pop up in Pavilion Bukit Jalil
The Les Remarquables de Martell-Edition Laurentine Perilhou pop up in Pavilion Bukit Jalil
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“There was also a fantastic pop-up celebrating the history of Martell, which incorporated an AI video component as well. The pièce de résistance was the Les Remarquables de Martell-Edition Laurentine Perilhou showcase. Malaysia was the first market to get a glimpse of the stunning decanter, which cost around RM5 million,” Black added regarding the event which took place in Pavilion Bukit Jalil last year.
But the main pull is the liquid itself and the various iterations of cognac, crafted with skill and patience. People collect the limited editions and want more. Black shared, “What’s important is having something unique that people want, and it’s available at different levels—we’re not looking for, say, Single Cru to grow in demand like Noblige; that’s not the ambition. It’s more about sophistication and education and bringing people to the product at various price points.”
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If tall, dark and handsome is what you're looking for, Aaron Pereira ticks two out of three. This fine chocolate man (that is, a connoisseur of fine chocolate), enjoys the theatre, futsal, real-life conversations and of course, the English language. He believes that language should first be used to express, but the business of a sub-editor is to impress.
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