Bacardi launches new campaign, bottle design

‘Bacardi Untameable Since 1862’ global campaign unites product portfolio

Honoring its 150-year legacy, Hamilton, Bermuda-based Bacardi Limited announced the launch of its new “Bacardi Untameable Since 1862” global marketing campaign, which tells the stories behind Bacardi rum and its origins in Cuba and inspires consumers to embrace life and live boldly to showcase their own “Irrepressible Spirit.”

TV, digital and print advertising for the campaign will feature headlines such as, “We Remember Prohibition — It was a Blast;” “Some Men are Kicked Out of Bars — Others are Kicked Out of Countries;” and “Earthquakes, Fire, Exile, Prohibition — Sorry Fate, You Picked the Wrong Family.” The ads offer snapshots of the Bacardi history during Prohibition and its exile from Cuba and showcase how the Bacardi family had the original “irrepressible spirit” to overcome earthquakes, fire, war and revolution — none of which could defeat their spirit, because “True Passion Can’t Be Tamed.” The campaign is designed to engage millennial consumers to pursue their passions no matter what, encouraging camaraderie and strength of character.

“Bacardi Untameable Since 1862” will be supported by 30-, 60- and 120-second TV advertisements as well as outdoor billboard, print and digital executions. The TV spots —named “Procession” because of the frame-by-frame timeline and sequence of events viewers experience — were directed by Dante Ariola and actor Jordi Mollà with a voiceover by actor Jason Isaacs. The ads, filmed on location at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ouro Preto, Brazil, are stylized and have a blockbuster movie feel, the company says.

“Bacardi is known for its passionate drive, regardless of circumstance, convention or expectation,” said Dmitry Ivanov, senior global category director of rums for Bacardi, in a statement. “The campaign pays tribute to the brand’s enduring popularity [and] continuing ingenuity and connects with consumers as it inspires them to ignite the bold, ‘Irrepressible Spirit’ within us all. Taking a global creative approach with the ‘Bacardi Untameable Since 1862’ campaign allows us to focus all of our marketing resources against a single powerful idea; an idea that’s completely ownable to Bacardi as it is rooted in the brand’s history and the Bacardi family’s attitude to life.”

As part of the campaign, the Bacardi portfolio of light and dark rums globally will be united under one Bacardi creative look and feel. Every global market will have the same Bacardi character in its branding, marketing campaigns, advertising and visual identity for these rums, the company says. Along those lines, the new campaign pays tribute to Don Facundo Bacardí Massó, founder of the company. Bacardi rum also will incorporate a bat logo inspired from the past onto its labels. The new logo is a creation inspired by Bacardi bat hand-drawn designs from the early 1900s. It stays true to the integrity of the original symbol, which in Cuban and Spanish heritage represents good luck, good fortune and family unity, it adds.

The Bacardi word mark also has been updated, influenced by the Cuban Art Deco style from the late 1920s to early 1930s.

“This campaign ushers in a new era for Bacardi rum, with a deeper focus on its provenance to showcase the unfailing determination of the Bacardi family, and invites consumers to share in it,” Ivanov said in a statement. “This idea infuses the Bacardi brand with the authenticity of its origins, celebrates the incredible quality and craftsmanship of our rums, and showcases a universally resonant attitude. In essence, ‘Bacardi Untameable Since 1862’ is a salute to the Bacardi family’s incredible heritage, to pursuing your passions, and to an extraordinary rum.”

Using creative digital formats, fans will be able to discover and share the “Irrepressible Spirit” of Bacardi rum for themselves, with access to artifacts from the brand’s 151-year history and behind-the-scenes photography and video footage from the ad shoot, offering a truly immersive experience.

“Bacardi Untameable Since 1862” will launch Nov. 20 in the United States and Mexico, and in December in India and Australia, followed by other markets in spring 2014.

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