When the former Soviet Union opened up to foreign imports, many set aside the ‘home-grown’ Ararat brandy for more exotic French cognacs.
In an unusual strategy, Amsterdam Worldwide (AW) launched a 20-minute short film titled The Legend of Akhtamar, the first in a series created to appeal to Armenian and Russian expats and film buffs on both sides of the Atlantic and reinvent Ararat as an internationally renowned premium brand, explains Brian Elliott, CEO and founder of AW.
The cognac never appears in the movie, but it does feature in the movie poster, and the film is hosted online at Ararat-legends.com.
Promoted through social media in North America and staged red-carpet events in Moscow, Elliott says that in the film’s opening weekend, the number of people who have streamed it would be equal to 300 sold-out movie theatres in Toronto.
‘We’ve created a cultural space for this brand to live in, which is very important today.’