Maker of Absolut Vodka softens its hard liquor for the millennial age through social media
Firm’s 2018 capital market day held in Shenzhen, as chairman and chief executive officer wanted to showcase the company’s collaboration with Tencent and the theme of ‘China innovation’
French company Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest distiller, sees digitalisation as one of the essential ways to connect with Chinese millennials.
The firm held its 2018 capital market day this week in Shenzhen, an area known as China’s Silicon Valley, presenting before more than 60 analysts, investors, as well as journalists, many hailing from all over of the world.
“We think it is a great idea for us to come back to China to hold the capital market day after five years, as the performance is strong in China,” said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and chief executive officer of the distiller, which owns famous alcohol brands such as Absolut Vodka and Martell Cognac. “We chose Shenzhen because we want to showcase the collaboration with Tencent and the theme of China innovation.”
“We are going to continue to expand our footprint in China and given the size of this market there is still room to really grow,” he said.
Ricard, 46, who assumed the role of chairman and chief executive in 2015, is the grandson of the company’s founder.
The distiller is also trying to reach mainland millennials with new marketing approaches, including “Ask Jerry”, a chatbot that appears on WeChat.