Droga5 Beautifully Tells One of History's Most Incredible Father-Son Stories for Hennessy

If you're looking for iconic brand ambassadors for your adventure-themed liquor campaign, you could do a lot worse than the Piccards, the father and son who accomplished incredible—and incredibly parallel—exploring feats in the middle of the last century. In 1931, Auguste Piccard became the first man to reach the stratosphere, touching the edge of space in a pressurized capsule and balloon. Thirty years later, his son Jacques—in a remarkably complementary expedition in which he honored his father yet did precisely the opposite—became the first man to reach the deepest part of Earth's ocean floor. For Droga5, they were the perfect subject for Hennessy's ongoing "Wild Rabbit" campaign, which has featured great, daring, record-breaking characters from history since 2012. And so the agency crafted the gorgeous 90-second spot below, telling the father and son's stories as one—in a clever bit of grand yet personal storytelling. Creative directors Alexander Nowak and Felix Richter have worked on "Wild Rabbit" ads from the beginning. Here, they've managed to craft the campaign's most breathtaking visuals yet. In particular, the transition between the two stories is transfixing in the way it disorients the viewer—what at first seems to be Auguste breaking through some barrier in space turns out to be Jacques beginning his plunge into the oceanic depths. The spot was directed by Daniel Wolfe. He brought in photography specialist Chris Parks, who has produced mind-bending visual effects for movies like Tree of Life and Gravity. The effect is a remarkable cinematic look worthy of the spot's inspiring subject matter. The :90 uses on-screen text at the end to explain what you've just seen. That's followed by a product shot and the line "What's Your Wild Rabbit?" (The Wild Rabbit, in the context of the campaign, represents any deeply held passion that the cognac brand's target consumer is chasing.) The spot wraps with the tagline, "Never stop. Never settle. Since 1765." A :60 and a :30, meanwhile, feature voiceover narration by Nas, who says he felt a personal connection to the material. "The part of the Piccard story that resonated strongly with me is the generational bond," he said in a statement. "My father traveled the world driven by his music and passion. That relentless chase and will to achieve that's at the heart of Hennessy's campaign has also helped shape my musical path. It's in my blood." "For the past five years, Droga5 has strived to help the Hennessy brand continue to chase its own Wild Rabbit," said the agency's global chief strategy officer, Jonny Bauer. "In the spirit of The Piccards, the brand refuses to be satisfied and continues to reach for new heights." Giles Woodyer, senior vice president of Hennessy U.S., added: "The Piccards boast a rich family history of pioneering spirit, a narrative that parallels our own storied legacy and the constant pursuit to create the perfect cognac, year after year. It's this spirit of chasing one's Wild Rabbit that really resonates with people, and we're excited to continue the campaign's momentum by sharing the inspiring journey of these extraordinary men." CREDITS Client: Hennessy V.S Campaign: Wild Rabbit Title: The Piccards Launch Date: 4/16/16 Agency: Droga5 NY Creative Chairman: David Droga Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer Creative Director: Alexander Nowak Creative Director: Felix Richter Copywriter: Phil Hadad Art Director: Marybeth Ledesma: Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale Head of Broadcast Production: Ben Davies Executive Broadcast Producer: David Cardinali Associate Broadcast Producer: Sam Marx Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer Strategy Director: Elaine Purcell Senior Strategist: Danielle Travers Senior Strategist: Zack Cohn Senior Communications Strategist: Delphine McKinley Executive Group Director:: Steven Panariello Account Director: Patrick Rowley Account Supervisor:: Kendra Schaaf Account Manager: Andrew DeMatos Associate Account Manager: Rebecca Warren Project Manager: Dean Farella Client: Moet Hennessy CMO & EVP of Brands, USA: Rodney Williams SVP, Hennessy, USA: Giles Woodyer SVP, Strategic Marketing, USA: William Paretti Brand Director: , USA: Allison Varone International Marketing &: Thomas Moradpour Communications Director: Brand Director: Amanda Hawk Production Company: Anonymous | Somesuch Director: Daniel Wolfe Anonymous, Managing Director, Exec Producer: Eric Stern Anonymous, Executive Producer: SueEllen Claire Anonymous, Head of Production: Kerry Haynie Somesuch, Founding Partner: Tim Nash Somesuch, Founding Partner: Sally Campbell Director of Photography: Tom Townend Somesuch, Producer: Lee Groombridge Special Photography: Chris Parks Editorial: Cosmo Street | Trim Editor: Tom Lindsay: Assistant Editor: Julie Walsh Assistant Editor: Magda Plugowska Assistant Editor: Elise Butt Cosmo Street, Executive Producer: Maura Woodward Cosmo Street, Producer: Anne Lai VFX & Design: The Mill Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe Producer: Bugs Russell Shoot Supervisor: Jasper Kidd, Eric Pascarelli Creative Directors: Gavin Wellsman, Jasper Kidd 2D Lead Artist: Gavin Wellsman 3D Lead Artist: Jasper Kidd 2D Artists: Andre Vidal, Ben Kwok, Heather Kennedy 3D Artists: Jimmy Gass, Laurent Giaume, Katie Schiffer, Justin Diamond, Edward Hassan, Eshan Parizi, Paul Liaw, Joji Tsuruga, Greg Gangemi Matte Painting: Cedric Mernard Designer: Sally Reynolds Production Coordinator: Jacqueline Sand Music Company: Woodwork Music Composer: Phil Kay Sound Design: Q Department CD, Sound Designer: Drazen Bosnjak Sound Designer: Jean Baptiste Sound Designer: Saint Pol Executive Producer: Zack Rice Producer: Guin Frehling Sound Mixing: Sound Lounge Partner, Engineer: Tom Jucarrone Engineer: Rob Sayers

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Droga5 Beautifully Tells One of History's Most Incredible Father-Son Stories for Hennessy

Reaching for heaven and earth with the Piccards

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd