BACARDI’s brief to was boost the profile of the brand’s long-running experiential music programme BACARDI B-LIVE, in order to increase affinity and engage audiences in a more brand centric way.

We adopted a bold strategy that put BACARDI at the forefront of music industry innovation. We created a world-first brand/band partnership, by signing Groove Armada to BACARDI for 1 year - a mutual long-term equity-building relationship as opposed to a traditional short-term promotional brand/artist partnerships.

The difference to the traditional label model being that the artist retains the masters to the 4-track Mini-Album, released through B-LIVE records.The one-year partnership saw Groove Armada appointed as global music directors of B-LIVE in a multi-faceted deal that covered touring, recordings and content for radio and online consumption. BACARDI has invented a model which has resonated deeply in the industry, as no other brand has struck an artist deal of this scale and scope.B-LIVEShare.com achieved over 200 pieces of coverage worldwide incl. BBC, Billboard, Marketing, Music Week, AdAge and it was in the No. 1 blog-position on influential Hype Machine chart reflecting the popularity of the music.

1. Partnership announcement:We seeded the launch organically to markets, to localise the story and make it relevant at territory-level from the bottom up, allowing local media to break a globally relevant story in their market. Our approach saw the campaign snowball from a trade story to a consumer story achieving coverage around the world; Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and BBC.

2. International Amplification:We increased local relevance for markets by creating an amplification programme around Groove Armada’s first live show for BACARDI in Miami. We created a three day hospitality programme in Miami for international journalists, including a press-conference with Groove Armada and 10 international media titles attending.

3. B-LIVE Share.com:We created an online distribution-mechanic encouraging sharing of 4 Groove Armada tracks, and then seeded remixes to DJ’s and consumer-blogs. We launched the sharing mechanic at Midem, the world’s largest music industry event, to international media.

Results linked to prior objectives (1-3)1. Achieved MPR score of 79.71% and a reach of 142.4 million2. Achieved a reach of 15 million and MRP score of 77.31%.Please see support materials for PR coverage.3. Achieved: Campaign is still live, full evaluation is yet to be completed, however:- B-LIVEShare.com achieved over 200 pieces of coverage worldwide incl. BBC, Billboard, Marketing, Music Week, AdAge, etc.- No. 1 blog-position on influential Hype Machine chart reflecting the popularity of the music