Brody uncorks Dom Pérignon

Champagne brand Dom Pérignon is set to reveal the fruits of a year-long strategic brand review and repositioning by Neville Brody’s Research Studios.

In 2004, Dom Pérignon brought in Research Studios to assess its identity, briefing Brody to imbue it with more ‘elegance and glamour’, while retaining its hallmark luxury cues. The project was handled by the consultancy’s Paris studio, but art directed by Brody.

‘There is a perception of Dom Pérignon as a slightly old-fashioned gentlemen’s champagne, or a Beverly Hills party drink. Also, its market is aging, so we have used some subtle levering to move it into a more modern space,’ says Brody.

Research Studios has overhauled Dom Pérignon’s packaging, including a shift from the traditional horizontal ‘chest’ packs to a vertical design that opens in the middle. This is to increase shelf standout among competitor brands, says Brody. A simplified palette of matt black, silver and metallic pink colour-coding for the brand’s champagne vintages is also being introduced, but the original Dom Pérignon logo and bottle structure remain unchanged.

‘It has taken a year to get the finish of the packaging exactly right, with the right silver, weight and touch. Dom Pérignon is such a pared-down brand, with very little story or myth, that it is all about the exact detail. If you get the detail wrong then the whole thing doesn’t work,’ adds Brody.

Research Studios Paris designers Lionel Massias and Marion Laurens were creative leads on the project.

The consultancy is developing a consistent system of brand language to help Dom Pérignon create additional communications materials, such as window displays.

Last year, Dom Pérignon launched a limited edition 1998 vintage presented in a bottle and pack designed by Karl Lagerfeld (DW 6 April 2006). Daisy de Villeneuve has also been working with the label’s brand owner Moët & Chandon on designs for Moët Rosé (see News in Pictures, page 8).

According to market research company Mintel, demand for champagne in the UK has boomed in recent years, with sales rising by 30 per cent between 2000 and 2005 to reach £890m annually.

BUBBLING AWAY NICELY
• The marque was introduced as a prestige cuvée by owner Moët & Chandon Champagne in the 1920s
• Named after Pierre Pérignon, a 17th century monk who was influential in the development of champagne as a sparkling wine
• Research Studios appointed in 2004 without a pitch on the strength of its work with Kenzo Perfumes