How Ruinart’s Sarah Pallack Blends Storytelling And Strategy

May 8, 2024: Originally published in Forbes.

Ruinart is the world’s oldest Champagne house, yet it’s also one of the industry’s most forward-looking brands. The maison, founded in Reims in 1729, appointed its first American, Sarah Pallack, to lead the house last September.

Pallack, formerly the Director of Consumer Engagement for Prestige Champagnes at Moët Hennessy, arrives to her role following a storied career in lifestyle, spirits and travel public relations at BPCM. Her experience in bringing brand stories to life signals how luxury firms understand they must experiment with novel ways to reach a consumer who is more distracted than ever. The solution is both old and new: Telling powerful stories, but doing so in ways that cut through the noise.

Despite, or perhaps because, she is a former public relations expert, Pallack understands that while press coverage for events is always desirable, real impact is measured by actual sales. “ROI can't just be about press coverage,” Pallack says. “If you're just trying to get publications with big numbers, those aren't necessarily the right consumers you want. So then it’s: How are you looking at a bigger picture? What is going to serve the brand best?”

She adds, “I like talking about ‘the audience’ instead of ‘the consumer.’ If you think about ‘the consumer’, you're just thinking about what they want to buy and you forget to think of them as a holistic person with thoughts and opinions. If you think of your audience, you ask – Where do they get their news? What do they read?”

An example of this kind of thinking is the 2022 Krug symphony with Ryuichi Sakamato, which Pallack worked on. Krug, a sister Moët Hennessy maison, commissioned original music from the famed composer in honor of their 2008 vintages, and staged a one-night only performance at the Brooklyn Museum on Sept 20, 2022. Spotify and Krug feature the music on their sites.

Pallack describes that project as an opportunity to reach a broad audience. “The guest list was either people who loved Krug or people who loved Ryuichi Sakamoto,” she says. “Everyone left that party loving both of them. It was so impactful because it made so much sense. When brands create programs that make sense, you can't help but connect the dots because it's the only way to tell that story.”

Now, Pallack is bringing a similar ethos to Ruinart. This past week, during the Frieze Art Fair, Ruinart debuted works commissioned from a group of six artists from around the world, as part of its Carte Blanche program. The program funds original art around a theme; this year, the concept is “Conversations with Nature,” described as “a dialogue with nature in the Champagne region to question our relationship with living things.” For the Frieze Art Fair, and during an opening night party, artist Andrea Bowers produced brightly-colored long ribbons with phrases such as “Protecting Nature Is Not A Luxury” and “Clean Water Healthy Land,” which guests are encouraged to take away and wear as statement pieces.

Heading into the summer, Ruinart will continue a partnership with New York’s High Line, which highlights a wild garden tour showcasing biodiversity and sustainable viticulture. Both Carte Blanche and the High Line project put climate change at the fore, introducing new ways to tell Ruinart’s story.

“It’s a really important program supporting native plants and biodiversity in New York City, but also helping to educate and celebrate it,” Pallack says. As the partnership heads into its second year, Ruinart aims to connect deeper with that audience, especially given that the High Line is one of the most visited places in the city. Visitors can scan QR codes, for example, that detail the brand’s sustainable efforts and showcase nearby venues that serve the wine. “It’s all the storytelling of our core sustainability,” she adds. “Our goal this year is to help drive brand sales in a thoughtful way. I love when people connect with Ruinart on a philosophical level, but I also want people to realize that it's a beautiful champagne.”

Among the activations, this is a singular vision. “Are we continuing to drive value for the brand?,” Pallack muses. “In France and in Europe, we're super well known, but we're still relatively small in the U.S., so I'm always trying to think about how I can strategically create programs or moments that bring real value and hit multiple points for the brand.”