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Moet Hennessy
UK

Through 2020 & 2021 we worked with the MHUK Leadership Team and aligned:

  • The team's purpose

  • The team's vision & strategy 

  • The team's priorities  

  • The team's mindset, attitude and behaviours

  • The team's commitments 

Team Vision, Strategy & Priorities

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Team Purpose and Commitments

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Key Stakeholder Assessments - April 2021

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Team Growth Mindset

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On 15 September 2021 we met with the MHUK LT and the Workstream Champions for a workshop to review progress and agree next steps

Participants expectations of the day:

 

Redefine + reassess the workstreams to be more relevant to the current environment.

 

Understanding what are the expected tangible outcomes from the workstreams and what are the other implications such as bringing about cultural change and influencing a way of working => Clarity on how to measure success.

 

Expect to be able to identify synergies between workstreams and to prioritise betwwen them.

 

Progress - changing landscape.

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Alignment of purpose and next steps.

 

Honesty and transparency - stop, start, carry-on.

 

Update the current context e.g. wines, new portfolio, flexibility. Assess current situation, where should we go? 

 

Business critical vs nice to do? Review in view of current portfolio e.g. wines

 

Standard role vs workstream.

Reflection on what has progressed,  and what' hasn't... and the causes of these successes and failures

Strategic Goal: Consumers at the centre of our decision making

Successes

  1. Insights more embedded

  2. Step change in insights led sell decks and spirits engagement days

  3. Strong engagement on sustainability - internal and emerging with customers

  4. "Showing up" with our customers more than ever

Causes of Successes

  1. When linked to our jobs

  2. When people's inputs are relatively light/easy/they have passion

  3. With external help/internal experts

  4. When there's something in it for contributors

  5. Where work streams cross over

  6. Listening and engaging more with our customers

Failures

  1. Difficult to recruit team of doers

  2. Not totally clear on the bigger vision

  3. Ongoing impetus of Goal leadership

  4. Still some myths to dispel around definition of consumer centricity

  5. Beyond MHUK - getting info and getting our insights heard

Causes of Failure

  1. When the objective is not clear in the business

  2. Business 'shocks' took priority

  3. Reality luxury = scarcity - customers don't see this as "consumer centric"

  4. Champagne mindset can still overwhelm us

  5. Lost in the language of Workstream, day job, business priority

Strategic Goal: Unleash Spirits

Successes

  1. Introduced Volcan successfully to UK market (incl. AD WB) (achieve vol, On-trade presence, PR exposure)

  2. Established the process flow for new launches

  3. Private time drinking spirits cocktails - increasing advocacy

Causes of Successes

  1. Strategy aligned with MHUK classic business model. Strong team between brand, commercial, communications, marketing and sales. Consumer first approach - Volcan AD (Amazon)

  2. Learnings + research (during lockdown) - definition of "successful launch"

  3. WSET 2 Spirits: MH Academy - " Bar Culture"; expansion of education + advocacy; new brand education pre-sales

Failures/Challenges

  1. To put priorities on Spirits as MHUK business

  2. To scale product extensions vs core range

  3. To unlock new business model  - "How to" vs "Can we"

Causes of Failure

  1. Not having the right stakeholders in the workstream

  2. Resources -> new structure (TBC) (e.g. Monkey Shoulder)

  3. Resources (HC, A&P)

Strategic Goal: Take Moet and VC beyond Champagne

Successes

  1. Tangible evolution of cultural agenda e.g. rare, BPA, Bold, Summer at house, Jubilee)

  2. Being more daring, not afraid to fail (Lost Village bottle club, Cocktails/Champagne conversations)

  3. Improved distribution of MC in influential accounts

Causes of Successes

  1. Prioritising relevant cultural agenda and available funding

  2. Growth mindset

  3. Context and collaborative and loyal relationships

Failures/Challenges

  1. Tangible progress slow in some workstreams

  2. Early in the process still - need time to establish and capture data/insights

  3. Some overlapping of brands remains

Causes of Failure

  1. Lack of time and resources

  2. Many side projects (Maison/MHE/MHUK/task forces). Less is more

  3. Too much focus on short term

Strategic Goal: Champion Value Creation

Successes

  1. Mindset shift: Volume to Value -> value of everything. Long-term forward thinking. Project mentality

  2. People engagement - eventual enthusiasm

  3. Collaborative working - Delegation; Personal responsibility

Causes of Successes

  1. More even share of the voice - MHUK and MH

  2. Structure

  3. Integrated thinking e.g. brand planning

  4. Mentality of others to take on responsibility

  5. Clearer messages

  6. Will of individuals to succeed

Failures

  1. Frustration due to the reality of workload and the new business context

  2. Short-term minded/ firefighting

  3. Lack of growth mindset within the wider team

Causes of Failure

  1. Time and resources/ lack of agility

  2. Too hard on ourselves => KPI driven; looking for tangible outcomes

  3. Reality of role of Champions  => lack of instilling the growth mindset in wider team

  4. Rushed start => fear of failing

What's changed in the context since the start of the year?

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What We've Learnt

Don't fear to simplify

Be less dictated by short-term, keep growth mindset and long-term vision

Think long-term and take time to reflect

Take time to reflect and evolve - be agile

Company wide growth mindset to onboard wider company

Bring in new thinking/capabilities

Integrated thinking. Move from tangible KPIs to mindset shift (cultural change). Pose and learn vs fast-pace back to back

Simplify workstream and rethink

Prioritise and cut. Outsource

Taking more time could increase efficiency. Less is more - less dilution for more focus

"Mandate" an "evolution" ie make it a KPI that every 3 months something MUST change. Something is dropped, added, simplified  or changed!

Keep paving path for the new if it makes sense for the objective

Its not a one man army

Don't be afraid to fail

We all feel short-term/KPI oriented

Align not just UK workstreams but global workstreams too

We have done so much already!

Dare re Questioning. Align on objectives, including the risk of failure. Communication

Dare re Questioning. Align on objectives, including the risk of failure. Communication

Tangible - the big bets; KPIs; Changes

Profound changes needed

Integrate these 4 objectives into the mindset of entire marketing team/MHUK company/so the workstreams are clearly the priorities in each individual employee, and the workstream champs can work effectively (& members)

Back the big thinks (drop the nice-to-haves)

We need to re-think what the priorities are and evolve the goals

We need to simplify how this is working - too many people/too complex

We need a more consumer oriented vs brand oriented approach which reflect the full portfolio e.g. occasions vs brands

Keep, Apply and Encourage a Growth Mindset and make Long-Term a strength

Clear vision. Consolidate resources

Form the project! Team, objectives, tempo, etc, etc

More time on the Why. Desirability. Scarcity. Growth Mindset.

Embed "freedom to fail" and share platform/WoW in team/business (work with LT to help empower and engage business). Growth mindset

Tangibles & Intangibles. 
Doing vs Thinking

Time: speed of decisions; comfortable in pushing back, thinking ahead of time; allowing time to reflect. Creates an Agility mindset

Set milestones: Ddo not rush a result; adapt, evolve plan and strategy; be transparent, honest on progress and success

Agility is key: don't wait to change; be open and reactive

Business priority vs long term strategy

Ability to adapt to changing environment

Transversal collaboration; integrated thinking; long-term forward thinking (finding balance with short-term deliverables); listening more to our customers (expending more time); Importance of agility

Be comfortable pushing back. Encourage a growth mindset and lead by example. Rethink how we do "business" with evolution of portfolio

Simplify. Less talk, more action. Clear KPIs and timeframe

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What do we need to do to adapt/adjust our goals in order to bring value to our stakeholders?

Putting consumers at the centre of our decision making

Be the go-to super premium partner to the UK trade creating sustainable long-term value growth through customer centricity

  1. Win their hearts - host/showing up in their world; generosity; ways of listening (from transaction to relationship)

  2. Why! Our MH raison d'etre and brand building model - with humility

  3. Engage (their minds) with insight - consumer motivation; category; shopper; trend; occasion - insight/data - resource challenge

  4. Collaborate on the category vision - with priority customers; scale; perception of value - define who! - Current, future footprint, future halo

  5. Operationalise our joint plans for our joint consumers (craft exceptional consumer experiences)

  6. Enable our customer facing teams (sell in decks, vision days, future commerce)

We are the stars that sparkle beyond the Champagne

  • Nurturing & Fuelling Desirability

  • Recruiting & Exciting Consumers

  • Creating Valuable Growth with Scale

 

  • VCP

  • Moet

  • Chandon GS

  • Bubbles strategy

 

  • Integrating team with Specialist talents

  • Bi-monthly forum with 1 guest

  • Finding actionable synergies

  • Cross pollination on other worksteams

Unleash Our Spirits

  1. Evolve from New brands and Brand extensions to a stream of "new launches" - operational excellence; BASICS RIGHT; new route to .....

  2. Continue to reinforce Advocacy and education. From comfortable to confident

  3. Evolve resources and WoW: Marketing/Sales duo model for launches; included in PCR/KPIs; spirit lead accounts; teams or internal - WIP

  4. Challenge: move away from the cookie-cutter:not innovation; not consumers; not approach. Channel mix; consumers, teams, financials or value chain; positioning.

Championing Value Creation

Value for our business:

  • Is gaining traction and becoming the predominant mindset in MH now

  • Progressing well and still lots to do…in a favourable market for value

  • Work to continue under James’ leadership

 

Portfolio optimisation:

  • Brand vs Portfolio remains an unanswered question, so still a need

  • Maximise value on a portfolio at consumption occasions

  • Need to understand the criteria on which the choice/judgement of brand vs portfolio approach is made

 

Fuel desire for consumers:

  • Positive reinforcement of consumer at the centre of brand plans

  • Elevate sell to our customers – premium with high quality and consumer centricity

  • Clarity emerging around a framework to take brand plans into consumer plans

 

Value to our customers through partnerships:

  • Still early days with other pressing needs distracting

  • Challenges in getting key people engaged as their priorities differ

  • Need to catch a second wind…closer link to consumer insights and partnering pilot with C&C might be opportunity

 

In summary, the workstreams that add value are cross-functional or cross-portfolio:

  • Explore combination of customer value (Paul’s workstream) with consumer centred workstream on Trade connections (Antonio’s workstream)

  • Portfolio approach by consumer moments to be explored further

  • Value creation to continue under James

  • Test collaboration needed on fuelling desire (Ailish’s workstream) for consumers with the consumer centric goal (Ali)

"Elevating Occasions"

Consumer Centric

Partners

Portfolio

​Wines

Spirits

Bubbles

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Customer

Customer

Customer

Value Creation

Core message

  1. We have made some brilliant progress on many of our workstreams eg Playbook for new spirits launches, Pricing framework, Consumer insights in sell decks and engagement days, etc

  2. Our markets are exceptionally buoyant and we have responded well to maximise our context. At times, managing the present has been the right thing to prioritise.

  3. Our context has changed. As well as a surprisingly strong market, we have 5 new brands to integrate and now a significant presence in Wine.

  4. As we increasingly focus on our consumer we will deepen our relationship with key customers; partnering rather than simply transacting.

  5. These strategic partnerships offer us the potential to position our portfolio to elevate consumer occasions/moments.

  6. We will continue to supply to our wider customers, improving their appreciation of the value that comes with super premium brands

  7. We have taken our learning from the work done to date and adapted our strategic goals to accommodate wines. 

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