GERMANY. Hendrick’s Gin, owned by William Grant & Sons, has teamed up with Gebr. Heinemann, Frankfurt Media and Frankfurt Airport Retail to run a playful ‘Hendrick’s Perfumery’ animation in Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 Pier B West. The pop-up, which is running throughout August, was created by Space Agency.
The Moodie Davitt Report was on location to visit the first-of-its-kind animation, which sees Hendrick’s create its own bespoke edible scent, ‘Eau de Cucumber’. The fragrance can be spritzed onto a classic Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic, offering a double-dose of cucumber flavour. Hendrick’s Gin Global Ambassador and Juniper Explorer Ally Martin was involved in the creation of the scent.
“Perfumes & cosmetics is a big category in travel retail and so we wanted to play on that by asking ‘How can we create a perfume for gin’?”
The eclectic and playful 15sq m animation leans heavily into the cucumber-theming which also highlights Hendrick’s G&T as the perfect summer drink.
Several playful retailtainment elements are dotted throughout the space, which bring the Eau de Cucumber spritz to life alongside the classic Hendrick’s Gin and travel retail-exclusive Hendrick’s Amazonia expressions.
Travellers can take selfies with the giant Eau de Cucumber bottle, interact with a vintage phone to ‘Answer the Call of the Unnecessary’ and sample a Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic spritzed with Eau de Cucumber from the cucumber-shaped Spritz Carousel.
An interactive Story Wall invites travellers to drop a cucumber inside and watch the Eau de Cucumber fragrance creation process through three different peepholes. The experience is described as ‘a wonder of sensory refreshment’ and plays with Hendrick’s surrealist Victorian-inspired brand voice.
Hendrick’s new summer ‘Refreshingly Curious’ campaign visuals feature prominently throughout the space. The same visuals, which feature evocative cucumber-inspired illustrations, also feature in a high-profile ooh media and digital screen campaign throughout Frankfurt Airport.
After completing the Hendrick’s Perfumery experience, travellers can visit the Heinemann Duty Free main store just beside the pop-up to purchase a bottle of Hendrick’s and Hendrick’s Amazonia. This area brings the Hendrick’s ‘Refreshingly Curious’ summer campaign to life and offers exclusive gift wrapping services for Hendrick’s bottles purchased in-store.
“The Hendrick’s Gin Perfumery is the latest example of how Hendrick’s is able to disrupt the gin category in travel retail in its own delightfully idiosyncratic way,” said William Grant & Sons Global Travel Retail Regional Director for Europe and Americas Rufus Parkinson.
“On one level, the Perfumery will provide some relaxing fun for stressed travellers. On another, the activation has a more informative angle – to alert gin drinkers to the fact that Hendrick’s is oddly infused with rose and cucumber, which is a key point of differentiation for the brand in the crowded gin category.”
Gebr. Heinemann Director Marketing Jens Peter Peuckert added: “We are always keen to develop with our partners innovative summer drinks activations that drive footfall into our stores. In Hendrick’s, we have an equally ambitious partner we’ve been working together with trustfully for many years. Whether you are a gin enthusiast or an adventurous traveller seeking the unexpected – the Hendrick’s Gin Perfumery is sure to provide you with an unforgettable experience.”
Later this year, the Hendrick’s Gin Perfumery will also set up shop at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in partnership with Extime Duty Free.
The peculiar thinking behind the Hendrick’s Perfumery
Watch the YouTube video above for exclusive on location footage from the Hendrick’s Perfumery animation
Taking travel retail media on a tour of the animation, Space Agency Brand Experience Director Dawn Cardy commented: “Today we’re celebrating Hendrick’s Eau de Cucumber and our curious and relentless quest for refreshment. We’ve partnered with Gebr. Heinemann, Hendrick’s and Frankfurt Airport to build synergy between the pop-up experience and the store, where we are offering a gift wrap experience.
“The primary touchpoint is tasting the gin itself,” Cardy added. “We’ve created a bespoke fragrance called Eau de Cucumber for this experience, which is an edible scent which you can use as a garnish to your gin. We partnered with Ally Martin to craft the scent, using the cucumber essence from Hendrick’s and adding in extra botanicals inspired by the drink.
“We wanted to give travellers some insight into the world of Hendrick’s through this animation. Travellers can look through the Story Wall and discover ‘the making of an obsession’ by popping a cucumber inside and then unlocking a story-telling driven experience through three different peep holes.
“The oversized cucumber serves as a great photo opportunity and really catches the eye, which is particularly important in travel retail. There is also a shop window which sets the tone of the animation that is inspired by a vintage Victorian perfumery.”
William Grant & Sons Global Brand Manager Premium Spirits Owen Martin added: “This is Hendrick’s first big-scale activation since the pandemic and so we’re really coming back with a bang. We wanted to do something that was honed into travel retail. Perfumes & cosmetics is a big category in travel retail and so we wanted to play on that by asking ‘How can we create a perfume for gin’?
“So, we created the Eau de Cucumber edible scent which you can garnish your G&Ts with to give you a double dose of cucumber flavour and sensory refreshment. We pride ourselves in being a refreshing gin and that is driven by cucumber which is one of our key infusions.
“The gin market is quite saturated and Hendrick’s stands alone because of this hero cucumber ingredient. Cucumber is not just a taste descriptor but also how we garnish our serves and now we can layer it with our scent which is only available in travel retail.”
Martin added: “We’re a curious brand and we want people to escape the hustle and bustle of the airport and indulge their curiosity through the various touchpoints in the pop-up. We want to see how people can create their own experiences and be curious themselves. Hopefully this resonates and adds something to travellers’ airport experiences.”
Commenting on the Trinity/Quaternity partnerships that have brought the campaign to life, Martin said: “Throughout this process, we’ve had a wonderful partnership with Gebr. Heinemann, Frankfurt Media and Frankfurt Airport Retail to not only have a concourse pop-up space but also bring the experience in-store and showcase what Hendrick’s is all about.”
William Grant & Sons Customer Contact Heinemann Lucy Raleigh added: “This is one of the biggest Hendrick’s activations we’ve done since the pandemic with lots of touchpoints from in-store activation to concourse and also various media throughout the airport. It’s basically a Hendrick’s takeover in Frankfurt. This shows the great potential of the gin category now and in the future.”
Hendrick’s Gin is the number one super-premium gin in travel retail according to IWSR 2023 data and continues to establish a strong presence in this segment, as the channel recovers and the gin category booms in many markets across the world. ✈
