This is a Global alcoholic drinks campaign and comes with a whole world of restrictions. The alcohol industry is prohibitively self-regulating, in the messaging, the execution and the media that we can use to deliver the creative. We needed to contend with dark markets like India and Mexico where alcohol TV advertising is banned outright or the messaging must be restricted to straight product messages or brand names must not be used. But also, wider global restrictions for age targeting and corporate social responsibility guidelines. Rather than limit ourselves to lowest common denominator creative on TV, we created an idea that could live as online content and be tweaked to fit the nuances of local market regulations. We needed to be able to deliver a compelling branded message that was flexible enough in the execution that it could be adapted and targeted to comply with regulations. In digital, we have more flexibility in what can be said and how it can be creatively adapted and targeted to ensure compliance.

We wanted to find a way to make Bacardi relevant to our guys, and get them to actively start searching for Bacardi. So we worked out what they were searching for instead. From video games to parkour to daft memes like planking, guys had plenty enough to keep them occupied online. Cunningly, we based the creative executions on each of these topics, meaning that we could easily seed them in communities already looking for that specific content. This opened up media opportunities like efficient paid search (no alcohol competitors would ever bid on terms like “planking”), as well as seeding to communities centred on these high interest areas.

Bacardi’s search and buzz volumes had been steadily decreasing for years. Getting our target to talk about and search for Bacardi was a hugely important indicator for the client. Increased buzz leads to increased consideration in this category. With over 4m views across the six films in 15 countries, we certainly got their attention. The US exceeded their viewing targets by 178% and the UK by 344%. All for a ridiculously low media spend due to us being able to exploit existing conversations and communities online.

But most importantly, it led to guys who would never normally talk about Bacardi mentioning and searching for the brand. The campaign increased share of voice within the rum category by 25%, and searches out-stripped last years peaks against a declining trend. The variety of film topics also allowed markets to pick executions that resonated best in their culture. Latin America loved “On Vibrate” and Europe loved “Texting”, driving efficiencies globally. Our Global Facebook presence now has an engagement rate 102% higher than before the campaign, and we are already starting to see signs in the brand tracker that our consideration levels are on the up. Not bad for an idea that started with a party…