Hennessy Cognac secures first partnership with NBA

Hennessy has secured a multiyear sponsorship which makes the Cognac brand the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) official spirit partner .

The deal means that Hennessy will become the official spirit of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USA Basketball.

It is the first time Hennessy, which is owned by LVMH, has partnered with a professional sports league in North America. The brand will take over from Jack Daniels, the NBA’s previous spirit partner, this month.

Dan Rossomondo, NBA senior vice president of media and business development, said the partnership “provides an exciting opportunity to reach and engage with a broader segment of basketball fans around the NBA’s marquee moments.”

Hennessy will kick off the partnership during All-Star Weekend, and serve as an associate partner of the NBA Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles, which is taking place this month in Chicago, Illinois, as well as becoming a presenting partner of the pre-game red carpet.

As part of the deal, Hennessy will provide access to games, players and cultural events, as well as launching dedicated activations and marketing stunts based on the Cognac producer’s brand ethos: “Never stop. Never settle.”

Hennessy’s sales have been growing over the past year, which has helped to boost the luxury goods giant’s revenues.

Wine and spirits helped the company, which owns Moët & Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy and Château d’Yquem, report organic sales growth of 6% to reach €2.48 billion in the first half of 2019.

This, it said in a statement, was a result of “a strong policy of innovation and targeted investments in communication.”