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The Ru Report Travel Diary: Living It Up Martell Style

Le French Connection
Never in my life would I have imagined being transported to an exotic location such as Paris--one of my favorite spots--in a private jet. And then being whisked around the City of Lights in my own private Mercedes Benz But it happened during a recent expedition to France for a four-day tour to experience all of the rich and refined elegance of The House of Martell.

Yes. Martell. The liquor. The alcoholic beverage. The "brown juice"--as it is known to some in the urban community. The cognac--as it known around the world.

I, along, with about 12 other journalists of color had the distinct honor of experiencing, first hand, the true essence of the distilled brandy, its origin, its history and all that is fabulous in its homeland of France.

According to legend, Martell is the oldest of all major cognac houses deep in the heart of south western France's Charente region. Since 1715, it has been recognized around the world as a brand of rich heritage founded on the dedication of eight generations to create the most perfect cognac and the unique savoir faire.

Unique savoir faire, indeed.

I have never been treated to such refinery. I can literally say that I have lived out my wildest dreams during the non-traditional excursion geared primarily at introducing urban tastemakers to Martell.

Kicking things off, New York City's based brand development firm The Britto Agency hand delivered a basket to a very select few. The welcome package--designed by music industry marketer Terri Haskins--consisted of a bonded invitation to "Savor The Rich Culture" for a extended weekend in France, a bottle of Martell's special blend, a French Diptyque Bais candle, imported French truffles, a travel guide, a quick French/English translation guide, Cote Bastide Crystal Ambre scented rocks and an Eccolo journal book handcrafted in a leather cover overlay with a tassel. These items were all gift-wrapped in white and blue Martell ribbon, accentuated with Martell snifter glasses and dried roses and lavender.

I felt like a presenter at an award show. I love swag.

Once you called Marvet Britto, the proprietor of the firm (which has been brought in to bring some pizzazz to the brand), you were then delivered another basket-- this one, much bigger than before.

In this new basket, there was another bottle of Martell--this time the Cordon Blue brand (priced at $125) along with a Paris themed photo album and another scented candle, a down pillow and faux cashmere blanket with my first initial monogrammed on them, a leather passport holder and matching expandable carry-all bag by French design house Longchamp, along with a travel canvass bag filled with L'Occitane products.

It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Press people are traditionally treated like defecation, especially in a time where wicked gatekeepers, handlers and other industry "service" types really start to believe their own hype and become larger than life, overbearing and more inaccessible than their actual clients are. And the Black members of the media are treated worst. I keep having to tell a few of them that "it is P.R. and not E.R.!"

This Martell trip was a welcome reprieve. Judging from the initial outreach campaign, only a fool would've passed up on this offer.

I sure wasn't going to.

"I've always had an ability to anticipate everything it takes to make an experience memorable," Ms. Britto comments. The sassy and sometimes brassy media titan recently celebrated the 10^th anniversary of her flourishing publicity/marketing empire, The Britto Agency, which recently moved to a fabulous penthouse space just south of Columbus Circle.

The company has been the brand builder and PR firm for Martell for the past year, creating initiatives and events as well as initiating strategic alliances that support its "Rise Above" lifestyle and philosophy.

"We work diligently everyday to redefine the way Martell brands its products by combining event design and publicity, and entertainment marketing together to support Martell's global brand positioning and reinforce their core brand values," she says, adding, "The Britto Agency has to see beyond our clients' expectations and challenge ourselves to make everything we do a signature experience that creates its own buzz and reflects our clients' persona in the process. We don't follow the trends, we create them, just like Martell."

Tamara Gardellis, who is the National Event Marketing/PR Manager for the Cognac and Gin division of Pernod-Ricard--the parent company overseeing North American operations for Martell cognac, along with Chivas Regal and Seagrams Gin, accompanied the group on the outing.

For the last couple of years, Ms. Gardellis has worked to re-establish the Martell brand, building strategic platforms such as their "Rise Above" advertising campaign which launched September of last year.

The current "Rise Above" advertising campaign features African-Americans who have "risen above" to achieve a level of success and respect within their Industry and community. These individuals embody the qualities and characteristics Martell is said to pride itself on; Quality, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Class. The current individuals featured in the "Rise Above" campaign include Trace magazine Editor and Publisher Claude Grunitzky, multimedia artist Sanford Biggers, and Restaurateur Gerry Garvin.

The campaign, according to Ms. Gardellis, also serves as a call to action for those who want to 'rise above' the competition, life's obstacles and one's own expectations. "In a world where transience, hype and uniformity are the norm, Martell has chosen to focus on real African-Americans who represent a genuine triumph that is not only inspirational but also attainable," she explains.

Kenny Leon, the acclaimed director of Broadway's most recent revival of "A Raisin In The Sun," and shoe designer to the stars, Etu Evans, are the latest additions to the campaign.

"Martell prides itself on its quality, its tradition, its creativity and its refinement," she cites. "The gentlemen in the campaign are a reflection of this. To that end, we worked hard to insure these qualities were glorified and represented in the activities selected for the trip. I feel we got our point across."

Back to the trip.

The esteemed guests were directed to a private hangar in Teterboro, New Jersey. It was there that we all assembled and saw exactly who made the cut. Editors from magazines such as Ebony, Black Enterprise and Suede mixed it up with folks from E! Online and Newsweek. Members of the hip-hop elite media were even there, and everyone seemed to be getting along well. (Some editors in the hip-hop magazine world are known to have fierce and bitter rivalries = crabs in the barrel mentality.)

Once aboard the state of the art Falcon 900 C Gulfstream Jet--furnished by Prime Jet-- we were made at home with our own private flight attendant who catered to our every whim as we ascended over the Atlantic Ocean in our plush leather seating with individual flat-screen monitors and an assortment of current movies available.

The in-flight service was catered by Mr. Chow. Cristal champagne flowed freely.

With the exception of a few brushes with death, this time I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

"Our goal from the very first day of this press trip was to create an unparalleled experience that was both educational and culturally enriching for the journalists," shares Ms. Britto, who over the last decade has become one of the most formidable brand builders in entertainment. Her roster has boasted the likes of A-list talents such as "Sex & The City" star Kim Cattrall, superstar athletes Roy Jones, Jr., Latrell Sprewell, Gary Sheffield and Cutino Mobley, TV personalities Star Jones and Ananda Lewis, hip-hop superstars Foxy Brown and Eve, and acclaimed actress Angela Bassett, amongst others. The last five of the aforementioned celebrities have all graced the cover of Essence magazine, proving Ms. Britto's publicity prowess.

"All the elements of the trip--from the invites, to the acceptance gift baskets, to the private plane, hotel selection, historical journeys and restaurant choices--mirrored what Martell stands for and created an overall experience that I am sure no one will ever forget."

Indeed.

Big Smiley, fashion editor of hip-hop lifestyle magazine XXL, was quite impressed with all of the first class service. "I've never experienced anything like this before," he shares. "Martell is really trying to align itself and this is a step in the right direction."

Mr. Smiley--a ghetto-fabulous jet-setter in his own right, who has been with the magazine for nearly four years--says the most unique thing about the experience was the fact that the folks from Martell "let [him] stay in the castle."

Well, let me explain.

Once arriving at the military airbase La Rochelle in Laleu, France, we were greeted by dignitaries from Martell. You could tell that they were about to show us one hell of a good time. We didn't have to endure a grueling customs or baggage claim process, which was music to my ears. After salutations were exchanged, a luxury coach shuttled us over to the Chateau de Chanteloup, a sprawling estate on acres and acres of land in Cognac, France. I mean with all of its beauty and splendor, it transported some of us back to the 16^th Century--and this time, we weren't the servants. Filled with over 18 guest suites, the whole atmosphere seemed straight out of a period piece. After we were assigned our rooms and a manservant (not Farnsworth Bentley) helped us to our quarters, a fabulous Brunch awaited us.

From there, we were whisked off to Gabare for a cruise. Although the rich dark open-air vessel brought some eerie feelings, which probably harkened the spirit of my ancestors during the middle passage, our trusted tour guides educated us on the vast historical richness of the Cognac region. We saw the factories in which other "brown juice" brands such as Hennessy are housed. The townspeople looked at us in friendly wonderment as we sailed their river, snapping photos and waving just like the tourists we were.

After a ride through town, we returned to the Chanteloupe where we were given some time to freshen up before our dinner with Martell's head honcho Eric Benoist, the Overlord of all the grandiosity.

During the twilight time as our private butler mixed cocktails for us before the dinner, King magazine editor Datwon Thomas and I took to a strange looking billiard game called snooker, which actually resembled an economy version of pool. And then Martell's sole cellar master Bruno Lemoine nearly got into a hissy fit when we Americans decided to forgo his logic of the game and create a competition of our every own.

After dinner, most of the jet-lagged group wondered about the property. A late night game of Spades ensued, as folks in my party smoked the finest Cuban cigars while sonic rhythms by the likes of The Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent were juxtaposed with the musical greatness of Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone. We held court--into the wee hours of the morning.

"We, recognize the power and importance of the African American community and of the urban press and were very enthusiastic about receiving them at the Chateau," says Ms. Gardellis, who went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure we were all comfortable. "For those at the Chateau, I feel we offered a breath of fresh air. As compared to the European press, our press folks are very young, very enthusiastic, and generally a lot of fun."

After breakfast the next morning, we departed to the Gallienne Distillery and vineyard, guided by Caroline Ricard--a descendent of the Martell dynasty. There we stopped by the Visitor's Center and had a tasting ceremony with Mr. Lemoine in the Paradis. The ceremony culminated with all of us being honored with a diploma from The House of Martell.

As the largest landowner in the region, Martell is rooted in rich knowledge of the land, and enhanced by the committed relationships to the families of the 2,500 growers often dating back over five generations. Today, Martell continues as one of the few cognac houses to be actively involved in every stage of the cognac process, from the vineyard, to the development of the hand crafted oak barrels, the skillful ageing of their cognac through to worldwide sales.

"Martell is a very, very good cognac … and they need to get out there and let the people know that they were the first ones on the block before everyone else," he adds. One way he suggests for them to really make a dent into the urban marketplace is by featuring him as a spokesperson. "Martell should really put me in their advertising, and commercials and let's host parties and events together. Martel and me."

The 30-year-old Queens, NY-bred bad boy may be onto something. For discerning cognac drinkers, Martell has become the cognac of choice, which demonstrates they have created and achieved success on their own terms. He is the target demographic for the brand--African Americans have proven to be the largest consumers of cognacs and other dark liquors.

"I selected journalists who personify the Martell brand by exuding confidence, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit," adds Ms. Britto. "These journalists already mirrored the characteristics of our brand in their works."

Later in the afternoon, we departed the chateau and made our way back to the airport for a fun filled weekend in Paris.

Once in Paris, we checked into the luxurious hotel The Park Hyatt Paris Vendome just a few blocks from the legendary Louvre museum and up the way from the finest shops in town. Outside there were paparazzi awaiting us. Nah, I'm just jesting. Sting, Lenny Kravitz and Venus and Serena Williams were also staying in the magnificent hotel.

Going that extra mile--we were chauffeured around the various arrondissements in a fleet of spanking new Mercedes Benzes. We dined at hot spots such as La Cristal Palace, the famous Le Fouquets on the Champs-Elysees and the ultra-trendy and hip George's with its breathtaking panoramic view over looking the city. We also had guided tours of the Baccarat Showroom, experienced a very hot and heavy evening at the world's famous burlesque show, The Crazy Horse. We partied at La Maroquinerie, where many tastemakers, influencers and A-listers frequent for a hybrid of hip-hop, classic soul, reggae and funk. Recording artist AYO performed an acoustic set at the club, and we hung out after hours at Etoile. Walking tours of Le Louvre and a hearty luncheon aboard a private yacht that sailed the Seine River also took place.

It was truly so amazing. I felt so… so…. (what's the word I'm trying to find)… white!

Just to think, I started to name this column entry: Pampers and Pacifiers because we were spoiled rotten. And that's a good thing.

Every single night we arrived back to our hotel rooms, we were greeted with gifts and trinkets such as embossed Cartier stationary, signature Baccarrat crystal, a set of high-end binoculars, silk covered satchels with French terms embroidered on them, truffles and of course unlimited Martell.

It was sick. That's Karuspeak for excellent.

I, being the sleuth I am sometimes known to be, realized that all of this lavishness (private plane included) probably totaled close to a quarter of a million dollars.

According to Ms. Britto, it was well worth it.

"Martell is one of the few companies in existence today that understands--and more importantly--supports their primary consumer," she reveals. "The leaders of Martell are sophisticated, worldly, savvy people who know the importance of our community."

She intimates that the cognac brand and its decision makers designed their latest marketing initiatives to support the same community that has contributed to their growth in the U.S.

"So this trip was positioned as a salute to their achievements and support."

Ms. Gardelis adds: "I couldn't, in my wildest dreams, have imagined that I would have the opportunity to showcase a brand that I believe in as strongly as I do Martell, in the manner that we did: true class and refinement. It was truly a wonderful experience to be able to share with some of the best and brightest."

Going forward, Martell is standing out from the rest of the pack with its focus on independent Black film. A strong supporter of independent filmmakers, they are working to insure that they have avenues to screen their work. "We feel that in this way, we continue to assist the community in influencing the images that represent the community as well as the lines of distribution these images are disseminated through," she concludes.

Get Up, Get Out And Do Something!

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