Cointreau Changes Everything Campaign | Clapboard Ad Archive

COINTREAU CHANGES EVERYTHING

Description

Cointreau launched a bold and transformative campaign in France in December 2022, introducing its new international slogan, COINTREAU CHANGES EVERYTHING, crafted by agency TBWA\Paris to mark a significant evolution in the brand’s identity. Renowned among bartenders and mixology aficionados for its distinctive aromatic intensity, a single note of Cointreau liqueur is celebrated for its unique ability to enhance and perfectly balance cocktail flavors. This very essence of balance, transformation, and elevation is what the campaign aims to embody, bringing a fresh narrative to the brand’s timeless appeal. Central to this integrated campaign is a captivating brand film directed by Brian Beletic, featuring French dancer and choreographer Kevin Bago as the enigmatic Cointreau man dressed in the brand’s signature orange. Set at a frozen party where time is suspended, the protagonist gracefully navigates through the still guests to replace an empty bottle of Cointreau, sparking subtle, playful changes that not only restart the evening but elevate the entire experience. Complementing the film, the printed campaign employs the artistic technique of anamorphosis, where set elements are painted to create a striking orange square when viewed from a single vantage point. This visual metaphor of the Cointreau orange square is designed to become a recurring motif in the brand’s communications, symbolizing how Cointreau transforms not only cocktails but also the moods and moments surrounding them. The campaign coincides with the significant rejuvenation and upgrade of Cointreau’s iconic bottle, the most important redesign in its 140-year history, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to innovation while honoring its heritage. Altogether, COINTREAU CHANGES EVERYTHING positions the brand as a game changer in the alcoholic drinks industry, redefining not just its product but the social experiences it inspires.

Credits

Client

Cointreau

Agency

TBWA\Paris

Head Advertisers

Fanny CHTROMBERG, Alice HOFFMANN, Julien ZEHNACKER

Agency Executives

Jean-François REISER, Hugo CABRIT, Maëva JORDAN, Zoé LONGUET

Creative Director

Benjamin MARCHAL & Faustin CLAVERIE

Strategic Planner

Vincent GAREL, Léa RIVOIRE

Art Purchase (buyer)

Fériel SIMON

Production House

EXCUSE MY FRENCH SMUGGLER, WORKINGIRL, AKASSI

Producer

Jérôme RUCKI

Production Director

Olivier TAHON

Film Director

Brian BELETIC

Chief Ops

André CHEMETOFF

Head Of Production

More like this

Drinkable Hockeyfield - Schützengarten | Clapboard Ad Archive

Drinkable Hockeyfield, the audacious campaign from Schützengarten in partnership with Wunderman Thompson Switzerland, redefines what it means to connect brand, sport, and product provenance in the food and drink market by creating a limited-edition red ale brewed from the actual melted ice of the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers’ home rink during the 2021 Swiss hockey season. Targeting fans locked out of rinks during pandemic restrictions, the campaign delivers an extraordinary sense of participation, distilling the very essence of the game into 500 liters of beer and transforming an ephemeral sporting moment into a tangible, shareable object of fandom. The creative proposition hinges on a clear superiority claim: Swiss brewing patience and premium-grade output take precedence over quick-turn headline chasers, as Schützengarten pointedly contrasts their methodical four-week process with the rapid, light-beer approach recently attempted by Coors in the US. Communications foreground the pains taken in filtration and regulatory approval, demonstrating both technical rigor and social trust, and in doing so, assert the brewery’s position as Switzerland’s oldest and most tradition-anchored. Wunderman Thompson engineers the competitive narrative further by publicly challenging Coors and the Tampa Bay Lightning to a livestreamed beer showdown, inviting debate over the merits of speed versus quality and directly involving both passionate hockey loyalists and beer aficionados in the outcome. The campaign composition sits firmly within Clapboard’s FORMAT#11—Unique Personality Property, as its power derives not from story arc or humour but from relentless amplification of the beer’s singular origin, a distinctive positioning amplified through transparent production storytelling and limited-edition scarcity. By fusing the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers’ identity with Schützengarten’s own brand mythology, and leveraging rigorous third-party water purification and government sign-off, the effort vaults beyond gimmick to underscore Swiss values of quality, authenticity, and patient craftsmanship. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. Drinkable Hockeyfield matters to the industry because it crystallizes how a single remarkable product characteristic, when fully owned and clearly differentiated, can cut through a crowded alcohol market and command both cultural attention and premium positioning.

Campaign Proposition

The "COINTREAU CHANGES EVERYTHING" campaign positions Cointreau as a transformative ingredient that elevates cocktails and social moments through its distinctive aromatic intensity. The brand proposition centers on Cointreau’s unique ability to balance and enhance other flavors, thus metaphorically “changing everything” by improving both the drink and the experience around it. This narrative aligns with the brand’s heritage while signaling a modern rejuvenation, emphasized by the upgrade of its iconic bottle and the adoption of a bold, international slogan that encapsulates this transformational promise. From a market strategy perspective, the campaign leverages the insight that bartenders and mixology enthusiasts appreciate Cointreau’s role in cocktail craft but seeks to extend this recognition to a broader audience. By focusing on the sensory and emotional impact of Cointreau within social settings, the campaign appeals not only to professional and passionate users but also to consumers who value elevated experiences. This is creatively expressed through a compelling brand film featuring a distinctive orange-clad "Cointreau man" who magically suspends time and subtly alters a party’s flow, visually dramatizing the brand’s ability to “change everything.” Additionally, the use of anamorphosis in the print campaign—transforming set elements into a recognizable orange square from a specific viewpoint—visually reinforces the concept of transformation and balance intrinsic to the product. This square becomes a recurring visual signature symbolizing how Cointreau reshapes moments and moods. Overall, the campaign integrates performance-oriented storytelling with iconic visual motifs to reposition Cointreau as both a heritage brand and an innovative force in the alcoholic drinks market, targeting a diverse audience that spans professional bartenders to lifestyle-oriented consumers who seek sophistication and elevated social experiences.

Creative Device

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This campaign fits FORMAT#9 because its creative core centers on visually representing Cointreau’s transformative effect through symbolic and heightened imagery. The “mysterious Cointreau man” dressed in orange literally suspends time at a party—a magical device highlighting the idea that Cointreau can elevate and transform not just drinks, but moments and moods. The printed campaign’s use of anamorphosis and the iconic orange square further exemplifies symbolic representation of the brand’s benefit, rather than relying on a literal demonstration or overt storytelling arc.

Ice Tunnel - Pirinsko Ledeno | Clapboard Ad Archive — archive collection thumbnail

Ice Tunnel - Pirinsko Ledeno | Clapboard Ad Archive

Pirinsko Ledeno’s 2019 Ice Tunnel campaign by 121 Agency in Bulgaria stands as a compelling example of FORMAT#1 Demonstration within the alcoholic drinks category, translating the brand’s unique selling point—its beer filtered at -1°C—into an immersive, experiential activation that delivers the product benefit through direct sensory engagement. Positioned at Kapana Fest, one of Bulgaria’s premier cultural events, the Ice Tunnel installation invited over 5,500 visitors to physically experience the chilling effect that defines Pirinsko Ledeno’s identity, allowing consumers to literally walk through the brand’s core message of exceptional coolness. The campaign’s strength lies in its clear, unambiguous demonstration of product differentiation without relying on narrative complexity, symbolism, or testimonial devices, focusing instead on a multi-sensory encounter that bridges the gap between consumer perception and product reality. This approach capitalized on the environment of a high-traffic festival, enhancing brand visibility and generating organic word-of-mouth by embedding the beer’s refreshing coldness into the memories of attendees. By activating the brand through a tactile and atmospheric construct, 121 Agency elevated the typical consumption moment into a shared cultural experience, reinforcing Pirinsko Ledeno’s positioning in a competitive market through physical proof rather than abstract claims. This campaign’s execution underscores the potency of experiential marketing within the food and drink sector, where direct interaction can crystallize product benefits more effectively than traditional media. Clapboard rates this campaign 62/100. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how a straightforward, sensory-driven demonstration can cut through market noise by making product attributes tangible in a culturally relevant setting, thereby deepening consumer connection and loyalty.