Born in Limoges, France, Franck Sagne’s birth city is quite small but is famous for its porcelain, as the first kaolin deposits were found nearby it at the end of the 18th century. Kings and Emperors from all over the world used to order their porcelain services in Limoges. “La porcelaine de Limoges,” as they call it in France, has the reputation of being one of the finest in the world both for the quality of the china as well as the beauty of their exquisite hand-painted embellishments. Growing up in such an environment, Sagne has always been very sensitive to the beauty and quality of the luxury products. He found that even as a child, it was his dream to market products in order to promote ancestral know-hows, artistry as well as sustainability – luxury products that are made to last.
Sagne is very interested in brands with an interesting heritage or specific know-how and history. He enjoys brands that are inspiring for any kind of customer, and has spent his career as an in-demand Marketing Director working with such companies, including the iconic fashion brand Schiaparelli and the luxury goods brand Moët Hennessy, the wines and spirits division of famed Louis Vuitton, also known as the LVMH group.
“Product development is always fascinating because you know approximately where you want to go but you do not always know how you will achieve your objectives. It is a game full of surprises along its way. This is more a journey than a destination. I also love developing marketing tools such as communication and advertising campaigns as this is a very creative task where you are able to work with talents outside of the company such as photographers, graphic designers, models, actors, and embark them in the brand universe. Working with talents certainly is the thing that I prefer because it stimulates your own creativity and sensibility and it is always very challenging,” said Sagne.
For Sagne, the highlight of a career is very often linked to moments when you get the chance to meet a mentor. He considers a mentor as someone who believes in your abilities more than yourself, putting you in the position of doing things that you did not think you would be capable of. When he was working as Digital Marketing Director at Moët Hennessy, he had the opportunity to be guided by two amazing mentors at the same time and believes that guidance shaped his prominent career to what it has now become.
“The Moët Hennessy wines & spirits brands portfolio is like no other in the world. The 27 Houses are all inspired by the same spirit of perfection, shaped by the ongoing quest for innovation they pursue daily, from production and marketing to distribution, in order to continually strengthen the appeal and reputation of these brands. They contribute to France’s amazing reputation for quality and specific way of living. Being part of their history is a great privilege,” he said.
While working with Moët Hennessy, Sagne was given the opportunity to develop a very challenging program called Hennessy Artistry. Hennessy Artistry is a unique integrated global platform that brings the "art of blending" to life by creating exceptional consumer experiences through a fusion of music, art culture and creative talents (among them Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, rapper Common, etc.). His role as a marketing director for this project was to integrate various added-value marketing and communication activities on and off-line around this central multi-millions budget marketing program for the Hennessy brand in the US and other countries in the world.
“I would summarize my experience working on Hennessy Artistry in two words: educate and elevate. The education process was really fascinating. I think that transmission is something very important as a human being in general. I had the opportunity to share my knowledge about digital communication with collaborators who were eager to learn. And I learned from them a lot as well because they were from different cultures than mine and some of them were younger than me which gave them another perspective on new ways to communicate. The elevation process was all about developing storytelling narratives that were exciting and compelling for our audiences. We all need to dream and to escape from reality. That’s what the Hennessy Artistry project was all about. It was not just about advertising the products but more about sharing emotions, discovering new ways of consumption through the powerful medium which music is. I love the entertainment industry and I had the chance to discover how it works and the hard work behind it. Working with amazing talents such as Pharrell Williams was a privilege. He puts a lot of himself in everything he does which is very stimulating and inspiring. I have a lot of respect for these talents who create the unexpected,” said Sagne.
Sagne was also appointed as the Business Process Owner (BPO) for marketing processes among Moët Hennessy brands and subsidiaries. He was the representative of the marketing directors of Moët Hennessy brands and worldwide subsidiaries at high level meetings, which has succeeded in improving the coherence of business processes at Moët Hennessy.
“I feel proud of such success not only for myself but also for all the teams I had the chance to work with. The projects I worked on at Moët Hennessy were part of a new chapter for the Moët Hennessy brands portfolio. It was a challenge to rejuvenate these old brands without compromising their equity. Having a lot of respect for the Moët Hennessy wines and spirits brands heritage, it has been a privilege of being instrumental to their success in the 21st Century,” he concluded.