I think the quote from one snooty store owner to another went like this: “Your customers are my shoplifters.” In a similar vein, the folks at Cristal Champagne have a PR problem on their hands.
It seems the managing director of the popular (et tres cher) champagne sniffed to the Economist that his bubbly brand would do better without the bling-bling crowd. Big mistake.
Jay-Z, who’s as A-list as it gets in the hip-hop world — and a restaurateur to boot — has called for a boycott of the prestige cuvee based on the snooty comments.
Not only has champagne — and especially Cristal — been a favorite of the style-making hip-hop set, but the branded bubbly has flowed through many rappers’ song lyrics. No longer.
Having toiled on the Champagne Taittinger account for a couple of years, I know how hard the marketing teams work to muscle their product into the hottest and most gossiped about parties. The goal is to get a newspaper to report: “Diddy is known for his love of Cristal champagne.” Alas, no more Cristal Ball.