A selection of 8 highly original vintage Cognac ads

Now wait – an elephant carrying a 2000 liter Cognac bottle?

Cognac labels have always been a little bit different. The use of icons, symbols and colors in Cognac ads and labeling is very creative. Somethimes one has to smile, imagening advertisers taking advantage of drinking Cognac while brainstorming.

The iconography of Cognac labels and advertising has always been very original. So what I try here in this article to show some examples, describing each story – what actually happens.

1. A ballet dancer, a star, has a great show. But before going out there, she totally gets hooked on BALLET Cognac.

2. Of course: An elephant walks through an exotic jungle, probably India.

On the elephant’s back you find a handcrafted 2000 L Cognac bottle of Optima. The elephant is branded as well, with a nice yellow carpet – the logo of the hand nicely crafted into it. Now what kind of story is that? Did Rivière Gardrat have a very special connection to a maharadscha?…

3. A drunk clown (could be Krusty the Clown, a character from the famous Simpsons TV series) presenting his most original show

Picking up a 100 liter Favraud Cognac bottle and balancing a well filled but tiny glass on his nose.

“Yes! That’s it!”, the owner of the Cognac brand must have said, when he saw this idea.

4. “Let’s make a break in the middle of nowhere and get drunk in the woods!”

And everyone just unpacks, Richard gets the box of Cognac J. Dupont.

Ladies and gentlemen sitting on the ground. “It’s about time, lady Gwinyth, have a sip of this Cognac Dupont.”

5. The donkey does not look very happy about the fat boy

Cognac Audouin had a fantastic idea: Let’s put a drunk boy on a donkey, he he must hold a Cognac bottle in his right and a glass in his left hand. Don’t forget to put grapes on his head. Done.

6.  Classic. Dwarfs dancing around a very large Cognac bottle like indians around the fire.

7. China and Cognac. Jules Robin ad for the Chinese Cognac lovers. What it says? No idea…

8. Courvoisier found their brand element, their testimonial long ago: The man behind the bottle, in the shadows, is Napoleon.

The idea was really good: To use Napoleon for the brand of Courvoisier.

All photos by simoncognac