VERYSPECIAL.IE
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In 2017, Hennessy sought to rejuvenate its brand image in the Irish market by making it more relevant and engaging for a younger audience.
Although globally recognized as a premium Cognac with over 250 years of heritage, it was widely perceived as a traditional “older generation” drink. Our mission was to reposition Hennessy as fresh, contemporary, and experiential,while preserving its premium identity.
MY ROLE
As UX and Experience Designer, I led user research, strategy, interaction planning, and visual concepting for both digital and event components of the project. I collaborated closely with strategy, creative, and technology partners to align experiences with audience expectations and business goals.
We collaborated with IBM Watson to create an engaging cocktail experience in which an individual’s personality was expertly matched to a bespoke Hennessy V.S cocktail by analyzing their tweets. The use of such technology was a first in the Irish market.
THE CHALLENGE
Initial research revealed a clear gap between brand heritage and audience perception. Many young adults had never tried Hennessy, yet associated it with words like “dark,” “old,” and “luxury.” The brand felt aspirational but inaccessible. At the same time, this audience valued experiences over ownership and actively shared their social lives online.
The challenge became clear: how might we make Hennessy feel participatory rather than prestigious, social rather than distant?
RESEARCH
We conducted qualitative research with a pilot group of young adults to understand perceptions and behaviour.
Key findings included:
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Most had never tried Hennessy and assumed high cost due to perceived status.
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Social and experiential consumption was a priority over ownership.
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Language used to describe the brand included: “Dark • Old • Fancy • Luxury • Not for me.”
These insights directly shaped the design direction — emphasizing playful engagement, personalization, and social shareability.
KEY INSIGHTS
We observed from the key findings of our research that millennials prefer to spend money on experiences than on material things. They love to create meaningful experiences with friends and share them on social media.
They found the product to be inaccessible and perceived it to be for older generations.
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Key words our sample group used to describe Hennessy: Dark, Gold, Old, Fancy, Old Man, Brandy glass, Luxury, Expensive.
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81% never tried Hennessy. When asked why they said they thought it was too expensive but didn't know the actual product price
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77% said they liked to go out with friends for drinks at least once a week and;
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72% would rather spend money on an experience instead of an expensive product
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83% access social media on a mobile device every day, while 56% share
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their lives on social platforms
FRAMING
The response was VerySpecial.ie, an interactive digital experience designed to connect personality, social identity, and cocktail culture. Rather than presenting static content, the platform offered a personality-driven cocktail recommendation journey. Users could engage with the brand in a playful and exploratory way, aligning Hennessy with self-expression rather than status.
We integrated IBM Watson’s personality analytics to personalise recommendations based on social data, transforming the experience from passive browsing into active participation. The interaction flow was intentionally simple and mobile-first, recognising that many users would encounter the campaign during social outings.
The design focused on clarity and immediacy. Users moved seamlessly from landing page to personality insight to cocktail recommendation, with opportunities to connect the digital journey to live events. This cross-channel thinking ensured that the experience extended beyond the screen and into real-world moments.
DESIGN STRATEGY
Visually, the challenge was balance. We needed to modernise without diluting the premium feel. The interface retained the brand’s depth and sophistication but introduced cleaner layouts, more dynamic imagery, and a lighter tone in interaction. The goal was not to make Hennessy casual, it was to make it approachable.
Every design decision was grounded in perception shift. If the brand felt distant, we made it interactive. If it felt exclusive, we made it participatory. If it felt traditional, we made it experiential.
Because the website was designed to launch during live events across Ireland’s main cities, simplicity became a core design principle. Users would be accessing the experience in busy, social environments — often on mobile devices, with limited attention and time. The interface needed to be intuitive, fast, and frictionless.
During early testing with low-fidelity wireframes, we observed that users were not only interested in receiving a single cocktail recommendation, but were also curious to explore and potentially order different flavour variations at the bar. This behaviour revealed an opportunity: the experience shouldn’t end at one suggestion — it should encourage exploration.
In response, we revised the user flow to support discovery and comparison before leading users toward a clear action at the bar. The updated flow allowed users to browse alternative flavour profiles while maintaining a streamlined path to ordering, ensuring the experience remained simple but more aligned with real user behaviour.
STYLE GUIDE
We wanted to keep the main core brand for Hennessy but adapt it, so it felt relevant to a younger audience. We wanted to keep the luxury feel, but keep accessibility in mind
THE RESULTS
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1 million impressions on Twitter
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3:30 average time spent on the website
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2,600 Hennessy cocktails were made
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4% increase in spontaneous brand awareness