Pernod Ricard China has handed its media planning and buying duties to Carat, a dentsu company, following a competitive pitch.  

Carat was chosen due to its consistent adherence to the “Designing for people” approach, which pioneers in media to build modern businesses by bringing brands closer to consumers, combined with its extensive experience in luxury and premium consumer goods. 

Following successful pitches in Latin America and Europe, dentsu has now further solidified its partnership with Pernod Ricard by winning this significant client in China. 

Under the partnership, Carat will collaborate with Pernod Ricard’s extensive portfolio of renowned brands, including Absolut Vodka, Martell, Royal Salute, Ballantine’s, Chivas, and Jameson, among others.  

Given that Pernod Ricard serves the world’s favourite drinks brands in more than 160 countries, Carat will ensure that brand messages resonate powerfully with target audiences through innovative media strategies and precise consumer analytics, creating unique brand proposition and engaging consumer experiences.  

Louis Cheng, marketing VP of Pernod Ricard China said: "As we navigate the complex and rapidly evolving media landscape in China, Carat's profound understanding of media dynamics and innovative concepts will make them an invaluable partner.” 

“We look forward to working closely with Carat to boost the influence and visibility of Pernod Ricard's brands in the Chinese market, maintaining a competitive edge in this ever-evolving landscape,” Cheng added. 

Tommy Li, CEO of dentsu Media China, stated, "We are thrilled to have the privilege to serve Pernod Ricard in the very important China market. We appreciate and are humbled by the trust placed upon us.” 

“As we continue to transform our media and overall capabilities for dentsu in China, many clients are already experiencing new integrated value that our teams can bring to bear. We will fully apply those leading capabilities and our client-centric / outcome-centric mindset into our partnership with Pernod Ricard,” Li added.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Carat for more information. 

Most recently, Pernod Ricard announced the acquisition of a minority stake in Almave, a super premium non-alcoholic blue agave-based spirit brand, co-founded by Seven-Time Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, by Mexico-based innovation incubator Casa Lumbre and by the advisory and investment firm Copper.

This came as Almave perfectly satisfies the intersection between three accelerating global trends: tequila, non-alcoholic products and the desire for authenticity. 

Pernod Ricard will bring their strong experience in brand building and global distribution to help scale this first-of-its-kind product to several markets throughout the world. The partnership will also add a complementary and innovative brand to Pernod Ricard’s already comprehensive and premium agave spirits portfolio. 

This article first appeared on Marketing Interactive.