Notorious Beam Team

A while ago I mentioned that we should be aiming to get our brands talked about on major blogs; specifically the likes of NotCot, BoingBoing, Coolhunting, This Next, SlashFood etc.

I was having a look at Slashfood and the first item on their blog was a cocktail recipe that had been posted on This Next about how good Hornitos is.

Have a look at the SlashFood article here.

And the This Next recommendation here.

Here's the text from Slashfood:

"On the weekends at the beach, you're wasting away in Margaritaville. During the week, you're a swanky Rat Packer at the uptown lounge. Honey, it sounds like you're going through a little identity crisis.

Alyson's Margaritatini is just the thing for the swanky, sophisticated beach bums. It's a combination of margarita ingredients, shaken and served (halfway) "up" in stemless glasses like a martini. It's got "none of the melt, all the ole!" Sound good? Not even close. The kicker is a little secret ingredient that you can find out only by clicking through to get the recipe."







What's also interesting is the fact that once you are featured on one big blog it's very often picked up and cross referenced on other blogs and then syndicated out further. This can often lead to blog storms. It's a great way of spreading the word very quickly. In addition because of permalinks people often bring up issues and items of interest from the past. So a PR triumph or failure on a blog will stay fresh and powerful far longer than a standard article in the paper. Plus personal recommendations are often more powerful than articles in papers.

See the cross syndicated article on Hornitos below from Tastespotting:





Word of mouth, the long tail and the power of user recommendations are so important. We should be aiming to encourage and precipitate this kind of activity as much as possible.

NotCot has found this brilliant piece of design and packaging for Absinthe:

"What is one to think when your favorite candy company comes out with an incredibly gorgeous line of absinthe products… with some of the most breathtaking graphics and packaging? Chic City Rats pointed out this collection, and noted that Torino based, Pastiglie Leone is turning 150 this year!"

Great design.

From Coolhunting:

"Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey, by Tuthilltown Spirits, is the first rye whiskey legally made in New York since prohibition and is fast becoming the connoisseur's drink of choice. At 92 proof, the spirit has a slightly spicy, fruity taste, concocted to compliment sweet vermouth in the classic New York–born cocktail, The Manhattan.

Ground, cooked, fermented and double distilled in Gardiner, NY, the bottles are hand filled, capped, waxed and numbered one at a time in limited numbers.

You can expect their second batch in stores and bars around the New York region in June. For those of you not in the New York area, contact Tuthilltown Spirits to reserve your bottle or even a whole cask."



If you have a prowl around their website it's fun to see you can order your own cask of whiskey. Pictures of hand labelling add to the mystique and sense of craftsmanship as well.

From NotCot:

Reyka Vodka looks amazing and comes with the most charming, engaging packaging and advertising campaign reminiscent of Hendricks and 42 Below.

"Reyka Vodka ~ from iceland ~ their ads on youtube have had me in stitches all morning (watch them all below). Her voice and outfit are ADORABLE… in a hilariously cute kind of way… and the black and white sketchy animated world she exists in is just brilliant. And her poignant arguments make me giggle too much this morning. So, while i can’t say anything about how good the vodka is, the ads certainly make me want to try some… gorgeous bottle as well. Check out their website here, its got some pretty woodblock style graphics."









Each bottle has a different story:







Quite brilliantly the website links to the Icelandic Penis Museum which made us all laugh... some great specimens in there including one with a bottle of Crown Royal inside it!





Crown Royal Penis:

Muji seems to sell as many refills as it does pens. Schwartz Spices must sell a large proportion of its goods in refill packs as opposed to heavy glass jars.





Maybe this could incorporate something as ecologically friendly as this from Springwise:



Could we experiment by selling our glass bottled booze at a price premium in very stylish bottles and then sell subsequent refill cartons at discounted prices? It would be a great step in the right direction environmentally...

Some wine brands are using Tetra Packs to do this although there is some doubt about their recycling credentials too.



Also, as we have commented previously, non clear glass bottles can't be recycled and often get used as road aggregate... therefore any bottle that isn't clear should be ditched in favour of see through glass or something even more environmentally sound.

This can't be done half heartedly.

From PSFK again:

Jones Soda, the soda company widely known for its consumer-submitted label designs, has announced their plan to use Pure Cane Sugar rather than High-Fructose Corn Syrup in all Jones products. Advertising the transition with a cheeky, "Corn is for Cars...Sugar is for Soda" tagline, Jones was motivated by a growing population wanting less and less HFCS in their diets and that: ...it tastes better and overall it's better for the environment (No GMO’s). So leave the corn for your cars, and keep the sugar for your soda.

From the brilliant PSFK:

An appropriately named new service called BuyYourFriendaDrink.com is enabling people to do just that. Users can go to the website, enter in their friend's cell phone number and the amount of money they want to spend ($5 - $250) and a text message will be sent to person on the other end with a redemption code. That code is then handed over to participating bars and drinks are served. Each transaction includes a $0 .99 processing fee.

The service is currently only available in New York at a select number of establishments, but there are plans to expand to other northeastern and mid-Atlantic cities with the west coast unfolding in the second half of 2007.



It would be great if we could find a way of collaborating.

From Coolhunting:

"Historically frowned upon as cheap imitations for those who can't mix their own, two new mixers help remove the stigma by making delicious concentrates using high-quality ingredients. Our first contender, Mixerz, comes to us from California's Napa Valley, the cradle of America's fine wine industry that in the 1980s broke the backs of the jugwine industry, elevating California wines to a world standard. Using all natural ingredients, Mixerz has done the same for cocktail mixers.

Each of the seven ingredients tastes remarkably like a freshly mixed cocktail. We were skeptical about one of our favorite summer drinks, the mojito, which is impossible to enjoy without good-quality mint leaves; nevertheless, Cool Hunting tasters were won over with this thirst-quenching mixer made by steeping real mint leaves—it has a convincing lime flavor and isn't too sweet. Others to try are the Bloody Mary, Margarita and Cosmopolitan. Even with such an uncreative name, Mixerz delivers the goods.

In the same vein, Sweetbird syrups deliver nearly 30 flavors for cocktails, smoothies, milkshakes or any variety of recipes. The flavors are fairly conventional; they stick to the known universe with options like caramel, chocolate, toasted marshmallow and peach, pineapple and raspberry, rather than trying to be outlandish. What they might lack in innovation, they more than make up for in consistency of quality. Bereft of anything artificial, they're also certified by the Vegetarian Society; aside from the culled marshmallows, each syrup is guaranteed cruelty-free. Also check out the chocolate (white and black) and caramel sauces."

Competitior to Sourz? Very impresed by their use of all natural ingredients...

Environmental brand innovation. All brands should be doing this. Clear bottles. Recycling. Organics. But for the right reason.

Depicts 10,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours.







From Chris Jordan via MIT Adverlab:

"Chris Jordan "looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books.""

It's an amazing example of how to bring statistics to life and reminds me of Edward Tufte the hero of graphical representation of stats.



To see more of Chris Jordan's fascinating images click here.

From the ever excellent LifeSigns Network:

"Cities can be explored and rediscovered with new way-finding devices and interactive technology. This encourages people to look at their surroundings in new ways.

Design company Electricwig created a unique trail around the small town of Billinghay in Lincolnshire. It includes signage that shares local tales and anecdotes, and zoetropes dotted around the village that act as objects of curiosity for villagers to find while going about their daily lives.

Drop Spots are alternative mailboxes that add an extra layer of interest to city environments. They are hiding places in the public space, where people can leave items for exchange. The Drop Spots website helps hiders and seekers find their nearest spot where goodies may be hiding, or people can create their own Drop Spot in a local nook, where they can leave secret gifts such as a poem, photograph, favourite quote, or mix CD. They then log on to dropspots.org to map and describe the location of their drop spot so that others can find it.

The ‘Little People’ project sees street artist Slinkachu leave tiny hand-painted people across London, making light-hearted comments about society. Figures include a prostitute leaning into a car, a sunbathing man, figures holding ‘golf sale’ signs and even a figure getting cash from a miniature ATM.

The town of Karlsruhe in Germany was recently home to a street art project which enabled artists to communicate anonymously across the city's walls. Artists transformed unsightly utility boxes housing electric and telephone wires into chests of drawers, and adorned the backs of street signs with drawings and stencils. The pieces are created by a group of local artists who don't even know each other: when each new piece appears on the walls around Karlsruhe, other artists post up their own responses to the piece nearby.

Brands are increasingly using hidden public spaces to provoke interest in their products. Sportswear brands such as Adidas and Nike have already used treasure hunts; trainer fans searched the streets of London and New York respectively for clues to win limited-edition trainers. Meanwhile Dr Pepper recently ran a million-dollar treasure hunt in the US, with clues hidden online and in cities around America."

Gwyneth Holland

From Kotaku:

"Sony threw a party with a dead goat. You may have heard. Anyways, as the source of the ALARM was the less-than-credible Daily Mail (or to be precise it's Sunday edition the Mail on Sunday), we figured it was best to get both sides of the story before beheading Sony's PR and feasting on their insides. SCEE just got back to us, and (in summary) had this to say:

# The party was held on March 1, and attended by around twenty European journalists (none from the UK).

# The actual article in the Official PlayStation mag was written by a guy who wasn't in attendance; the piece was done on the basis of the party's invite, "which employed a degree of hyperbole in order to encourage attendance".

# The goat in question had already been killed (ie it wasn't killed at the party), and had been sourced from a local butcher.

# The goat's "entrails" were actually bowls of traditional Greek meat soup. At no stage was anyone allowed to touch the goat, nor did anyone eat or drink anything from inside the goat. After the party, the carcass was returned to the butcher.

# SCEE say that they first saw the photo last Thursday and immediately ordered it to be pulled from the magazine, and on Friday Official PlayStation Mag agreed. The magazine never reached general circulation, but subscribers did receive the issue with the offending picture included.

# SCEE closed by saying: "We are conducting an enquiry to establish the circumstances behind the event in order to ensure this does not happen again. We also apologise to anyone offended by the article in the OPSM."

So the party was held nearly two months ago and twenty journalists were served traditional soup. That doesn't excuse Sony - a dead goat is still a bit off - and it definitely doesn't excuse OPSM, but it's hardly the orgy of decadence the Daily Mail and now other media outlets would have you believe, either.

If you're interested, the full SCEE statement is after the jump."

"Hi Luke,

The event did take place, in Athens on 1st March. Approximately 20 journalists from European countries attended the event from a variety of gaming and lifestyle media - although none were from the UK.

The article in UK Official PlayStation Magazine (OPSM), from which the Mail on Sunday article was sourced, was written by a journalist who did not attend and done on the basis of the invitation for the event, which employed a degree of hyperbole in order to encourage attendance - the journalist chose to take it as fact!

The photograph was one of many supplied to the magazine to provide a balanced view of the event. Unfortunately, the article was sensationalised and focused on a picture that was unrepresentative of the wider event.

When we saw the article for the first time on Thursday of last week we contacted the Publisher of OPSM who accepted that the article was not appropriate for their broad audience. On Friday, before we had received any contact from the media, they agreed to remove the centre page article before the magazine goes on general sale.

The event was a theatrical dramatisation with a Greek mythological theme and, as part of the set dressing, a dead goat was sourced by the production company from a local butcher. Following the mainstream popularity of shows such as 'I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here' a series of challenges were set for the journalists. The 'warm entrails' referred to in the invitation and in the Mail on Sunday article was actually a meat soup, made to a traditional Greek recipe and served to attendees in china bowls direct from the caterers. There was never any question of journalists being able to touch the goat, or indeed eat the soup direct from the body of the goat, as one report has alleged. The goat was returned to the butcher at the end of the event.

We recognise that the use of a dead goat was in poor taste and fell below the high standards of conduct we set ourselves. We are conducting an enquiry to establish the circumstances behind the event in order to ensure this does not happen again. We also apologise to anyone offended by the article in the OPSM (subscription copies were sent out ahead of street date).

Nick Sharples
Director of Corporate Communications
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe"

How a small launch party made international news and caused a blog storm. It's certainly been talked about...

Back in September last year we blogged about BudTV.

Since then some fascinating, in depth analysis has been done and the results are not good if you work for Bud:

From Nigel Hollis, the Chief Global Analyst for Millward Brown:

"Last week, Madison+Vine reported that “Anheuser-Busch’s fledgling Bud.TV drew 253,000 visitors during its inaugural month.” According to the article, that’s just one-tenth of the audience Anheuser-Busch ultimately hopes to draw. Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media for A-B, reportedly said that the web-based TV network, which Anheuser-Busch spent more than $30 million to develop, is waiting for the “wow factor” to kick in.

With Bud.TV, Anheuser-Busch aims to reach adults between the ages of 21 and 27. In an interview last year with Brad Berens, editor-in-chief at iMedia Connection, Ponturo suggested that the objective of the venture was to follow this group online. Because of the online habits of these young adults, Ponturo said, “we needed to continue to move more of our marketing, and specifically media resources, as we try to reach the consumer, into the digital space.”

Suggesting that Anheuser-Busch has done a good job of connecting with the desired demographic in traditional media, Ponturo said that BudTV “will be using the internet in a way that 21- to 27-year-old consumers will appreciate.”

In producing Bud.TV, Anheuser-Busch needed to clear two big hurdles.

First, they needed to move from being a sponsor of content to being a creator of content. Producing a 30-second TV commercial for the Super Bowl is a light year different from producing a 24/7 online network. As I highlighted in a recent Point of View on branded content, the production of branded content of any sort usually requires specialized help. That does not come cheap, as the $30 million price tag confirms.

The next hurdle is about mindset. Do Anheuser-Busch and its partners really understand what people are looking for online?

The initial traffic report by Madison+Vine suggests not. It also validates many of the initial reviews of the site. Pundits panned the site, not just for its registration process – forced upon A-B by legal requirements – but the content, too. “These sketches are awful. Awful!” reports Burt Helm in a review titled, “Bud.TV: So lame I’m angry.”

Jackson West at newteevee.com suggests that the content can only be described as “forcibly viral by committee.” West goes on to suggest that a lot of money has been spent on “cheap and cheesy” production that is so self-centered and inauthentic that it will turn off the intended target audience.

None of this sounded good to me, but then I wondered if maybe these guys were beer drinkers, or even in the right demographic, so I decided to get some qualitative feedback from people who would qualify as A-B’s target audience.

Unfortunately for Bud.TV, it seems that the pundits were not alone. While money can buy you content, it can’t, apparently, buy you respect.

Of the five males aged 21 to 27 who viewed the site for me, none found the content compelling enough to add it to their destination sites or recommend to friends. So what, according to them, is wrong with Bud.TV?

First, logistics. Apart from the frustrating registration process, viewers found the navigation counter-intuitive (I am glad it wasn’t just me!) and struggled to view the content. Given that ease of navigation is a key element of any successful online property, if this feedback is representative, then Anheuser-Busch needs to address the issue immediately.

Second, content. My impromptu focus group seemed to agree with the pundits. The moderator, Alex, reported that “the content itself did not elicit any response that would merit more visits. A few chuckles here and there, but when I probed to see whether the respondents would come back to watch a new episode, the answer was no. Most people said there was nothing truly original on the Web site. Everything seemed to be a recycled concept to appeal to the younger demographic.” In other words, just the reaction anticipated by Jackson West.

But apart from the reaction to the content, there is a fundamental mismatch between Bud.TV’s presentation style and the interactive experience many younger people are looking for online: it doesn’t offer a sense of discovery or a means of self-expression.

Alex contasts the TV-like presentation of Bud.TV with the freestyle presentation of YouTube. On YouTube, ratings, comments and suggested videos allow users to easily explore the labyrinth of content, finding new and exciting things along the way. It is an active, lean-forward environment where people can share their thoughts and ideas. “Bud.TV, on the other hand, has no central focus and no way to find something new and exciting,” says Alex.

Anheuser-Busch’s agencies have produced some great TV commercials over the years: think “Wassup!” and the frogs. Those executions were ideally suited to engage a lean-back audience watching TV. By contrast, the online environment is only very slowly morphing from a 100% lean-forward medium, where people actively search for content of interest, to one where people may be willing to sit back and watch what’s presented.

To that degree one could argue that Bud.TV may simply be ahead of its time. But on the other hand, bad content has never been in vogue. Contrary to Tony Ponturo’s statement last year, it seems to me that Bud.TV proves that Anheuser-Busch has a long way to go before it will really ” be using the internet in a way that 21- to 27-year-old consumers will appreciate.”

So, do you agree that Anheuser-Busch has missed the mark in this online venture? If so, are they the first to do so? Can you think of any other advertisers who have failed to understand want their target audience wants?"

Content.

Context.

Community.

Millions of people repeat this gesture everyday.



From Adverblog.

Context is all. It's great when an execution asks consumers to complete the circle.

Pretty powerful stuff this from Forrester:

At the heart of Social Technographics is consumer data that looks at how consumers approach social technologies – not just the adoption of individual technologies. We group consumers into six different categories of participation – and participation at one level may or may not overlap with participation at other levels. We use the metaphor of a ladder to show this, with the rungs at the higher end of the ladder indicating a higher level of participation.

For example, 13% of US online adult consumers are "Creators" meaning that they have posted to a blog, updated a Web page, or uploaded video they created within the last month. I would fall this group because of this blog. I'm also an avid user of services like del.icio.us so would be a "Collector" as well. But I'm not really active on social networking sites – I'm there mostly for professional reasons, not personal ones, so wouldn't be a "Joiner". Lastly, while I enjoy reading environmental blogs like Treehugger, I'm mostly a "Spectator" when it comes to that content area, although I occasionally add a comment here and there.

The value of Social Technographics comes when it's used by companies to create their social strategies. For example, in the report we look at how Social Technographics profiles differ by primary life motivation, site usage, and even PC ownership.



The report also lays out how companies can create strategies using Social Technographics. For example, I've used the "participation ladder" to help figure out which social strategies to deploy first – and also how to encourage users to "climb up", so to speak, from being Spectators to becoming more engaged. It's my belief that not everyone is cut out from the start to be a Creator; nor is everyone inclined to jump with both feet into social networking. Companies seeking to engage customers with these new tools need to understand where their audiences are with this categorization.

From 3PointD:

Coca-Cola is taking its first steps in the virtual world of Second Life with a contest in which SL members will be invited to “imagine a virtual vending machine with limitless possibilities.” In concert with new-media marketing firm crayon and virtual-world services outfit Millions of Us, Coke is running “an open contest for Second Life residents and the general population to design a virtual experience machine through its Virtual Thirst competition. . . . This contest is not a search for the virtual version of a real-life vending machine that distributes bottles and cans, but the mission to create a portable device for Second Life’s ‘in-world’ digital society that unleashes a refreshing and attention-grabbing experience, on demand.” The contest is to be announced today in an in-world press conference with Coca-Cola execs.

According to a press release, the winner will be selected by an advisory council of SL residents and then will travel to San Francisco, courtesy of Coca-Cola, to collaborate with Millions of Us in turning the concept into virtual reality. The virtual Coke machine will be unveiled at an in-world party and made available for free to SL residents.

One interesting aspect of the competition is that fact that entries can be submitted »within SL«, via YouTube, or at the Virtual Thirst page on MySpace. The entry deadline is 25 May 2007.

A number of companies have been coming into Second Life lately with similar initiatives, hoping to find the killer entertainment app that residents will either keep coming back to or will carry around with them and use. It’s a nice twist to ask residents themselves to design the device. And definitely a great contract for the crayonistas to have. Looks like we’ll see how refreshing the results are sometime this summer. Should be interesting.

From a fascinating blog called Doing Business in an Expanding Reality:

Second Life: A platform for co-creation

Among the types of studies that may be conducted in Second Life, one area that seems particularly promising to us is that of co-creation: Businesses today are aware that they cannot innovate inside laboratories behind closed doors and that innovation will be successful if it is partly conducted by calling on collective creativity (see the book “Fabriquer le Futur 2” (Creating the Future 2, co-written by Pierre Musso, Laurent Ponthou and Eric Seuillet, who is the president of Fabrique du Futur).

These approaches will develop and are precisely a part of the societal trend of the “Participation generation” described by Thierry Maillet in his latest book “la Génération Participation”. Citizen/consumers are increasingly seeking direct dialogue with the brands and expect them to take into account their proposals.

We believe that Second Life is an ideal platform for this process of co-creation, namely because it allows those who wish to do so to provide their creative input to the brands and to present their designs under the form of 3D prototypes. Prototypes that may then be evaluated by other residents…

To activate this co-creative process, the organisation of a competition is amusing, stimulating and well-adapted to Second Life.

Our first experiments in this direction have been very positive. The first competition we launched, a building competition for a Repères showroom, was initially intended to propose an event for our panellists and to test the principle of competitions. The result is exceptional and I invite you to admire the design, presented in the next two snapshots, by Joshua Culdesac and Piper Pitney on the Repères Second Life island.

You will also find more information on this design and its creators on the Repères Second Life site.

The other competitions we have organised so far, have also been conducted experimentally by our panel, and we have found it more interesting and of greater impact to conduct this work for the benefit of partners who do not necessarily have the means to benefit from our services normally.

We are therefore moving towards two types of co-creation processes in SL:
. Operations for the brands, invoiced according to our usual conditions,
. and, for the purposes of communication and events organisation, joint operations with associations whose projects we support, with a sharing of the costs.

From the ever brilliant Adverlab:

"A March 2007 study of 1,085 Second Life avatars by CB News / Reperes found that "brands are still far from having succeeded in exploiting all of their SL potential. For instance no RL brand introduced in SL has succeeded in establishing a strong presence in the minds of residents." The graph above demonstrates the failure of brands to build strong "spontaneous" (unaided?) awareness. K Zero comments that these low levels, especially for the brands with longer history of SL presence, may be due to the high avatar turnover and the influx of the new residents.

The good news: "66% [of the residents] believe that the presence of RL brands has a positive impact on SL", which contradicts an earlier study by Komjuniti that showed that "72% of respondents [...] as being disappointed with the activities of the companies in Second Life."

A similar report by Market Truths shows that 49% percent of residents think that brand presence in SL is a good thing. Surprisingly, however, "of the 21 brands ultimately named (unaided), four do not actually have an official SL presence. They are, however, still getting positive brand impact from their “unofficial” (or perceived) presence." (quoted from SL Communicators).

But do check out the entire report by Reperes -- it has some interesting resident insights about specific campaigns.

[Update a few hours later] Ha, another study on Second Life: The latest poll by Global Market Insite, "found the virtual world of Second Life is a burgeoning market for real-life brands and product promotion. Fifty-six percent of users believe Second Life is a good promotional vehicle. Only 16 percent say they would not be more likely to buy or use a brand that is represented in the Internet-based virtual world."

Importantly although not surprisingly, " 55 percent watch less television since becoming active in Second Life." (press release)"

Thanks to Nick Garland for sending this from 6 Pins:







Nice work. We have show similar work here before so have a look.

Nice. Not created by Publicis Dialog. But quite fun!

From Jim Rokos via Notcot:








A brilliantly weird idea. A great way of encouraging communual drinking and a fun way to add some theatre to the drinking occassion. Probably a nightmare to clean though.

From Organic:



Check it out. There are some really intereseting ideas in here.

From the Fallon Planning Blog:

"Ugh. I won't even begin to try and recap the history on this Jay-Z vs Cristal feud.

But months after boycotting Louis Roederer Cristal, Jay-Z has found a new bubbly to enjoy. According to reports, the rap mogul is close to signing a deal to endorse Ace of Spade, an Armand De Brignac champagne featured in the rapper's video for the song "Show Me What You Got." Jay-Z also mentions Ace of Spade in the hit single and in the video, the rapper is seen opening a brief case during a card game. The brief case contains a bottle of Armand de Brignac, known for its solid gold-plated bottle and Ace of Spades shaped label.



Although the deal isn't official, Armand de Brignac president/CEO Brett Berish welcomed the attention his brand has received from Jay-Z. "Jay-Z has always demonstrated the highest standards and finest taste, and we're honored to see Armand make an appearance in 'Show Me What You Got,'" Berish said.

A Google search nets a lot of press release matter about how Armand de Brignac has been produced for "centuries" and is only now being imported stateside after enjoying success in France. But wait...Armand, who?

Further Google search reveals a story on Gawker, who calls bulls**t.

According to Gawker and HipHopGame, Armand de Brignac is a new stealth brand created by Cattier Champagne, to all appearances exclusively for its cameo in the Jay-Z video (and likely subsequent appearances and distribution in his clubs, etc.). Perhaps the best part: The Cattier bottle and vintage ("Antique Gold") that likely matches the relabeled "Armand de Brignac" sells for around $60 tops. "Armand de Brignac" reputedly goes for $300."