BACARDÍ Beginnings

ROLE: UK MUSIC AND BRAND PARTNERSHIPS LEAD AND CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR AT BACARDÍ

TRANSFORMING BACARDÍ’S PRESENCE IN THE UK

Spearheaded the strategic direction for BACARDÍ's UK consumer PR, music, content, and events platforms, driving a significant shift in consumer preference across the brand's portfolio. I re-imagined and led BACARDÍ Beginnings, an innovative music engagement platform that paired established artists with emerging talent, breaking new ground in music releases through a series of unique creative projects, by leading the change in direction to move from an event led PR platform to a content led PR program in order to increase ROI and extend reach across the UK.

Oversaw a £1.2 million budget, managing all aspects of brand visibility and engagement, including BVI creation, media partnerships, content development, and experiential marketing. Directed key partnerships with industry giants such as Coda Music, Universal Music, the Brit Awards, and Soho House Group, handling everything from artist selection and contract negotiations to influencer gifting and relationship management.

Successfully pitched and secured a new UK PR agency, elevating the creative execution and impact of our campaigns and resulting in a remarkable increase in ROI and reach: PR impressions skyrocketed from 37 million to 684 million, video views surged from 80,000 to 550,000, and brand perception evolved from “not for me” to a brand celebrated for its support of emerging talent.

Launched the world's first 3D printing record store, further positioning BACARDÍ as a pioneer in the music and cultural space. Maximised consumer and influencer engagement by leveraging a strategic partnership with MAMA Group, tapping into their database of 600,000 music enthusiasts, and collaborating with The Fly, the UK's most widely distributed free music magazine.

BACARDÍ BEGINNINGS JOB TO BE DONE

CHALLENGE

Despite heavy spend and a credible heritage in music partnerships, BACARDÍ was failing to reach its key demographic of fashionable young males.

CAMPAIGN

BACARDÍ Beginnings

OBJECTIVES

To generate awareness of the BACARDÍ Beginnings program
To increase consumer engagement with BACARDÍ rum
To drive brand re-appraisal, rejuvenation and cultural relevance

SUCCESS CRITERIA

An increase in positive sentiment coverage in top tier media
An increase in attendance of influential music and fashion people at the events
An increase in content creation for different audiences
An increase in online engagement of content
An increase of traffic to our website
An increase in brand perception scores
Launching 3 innovative music partnerships that push the boundaries of music creation
Improve relationships with key media

SOLUTION

3 collaborations between established and emerging artists, each writing a new track together and released in a way that pushed the boundaries of music promotion:

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine wrote, recorded, released, mixed, mastered and performed a new track live in just 12 hours before launching the track via BBC Radio 1.
Toddla T & Roses Gabor launched their track via a special SoundCloud app. Only the first beat of the track was available on launch, the rest of the track was gradually unlocked one beat at a time via social interactions (tweets/likes). Once fully unlocked, a remix competition launched. Toddla T later released the track on Defected Records further cementing the credibility of the project. There was also significant airplay on BBC Radio 1 and other stations.
Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) & Bobbie Gordon released their track via the world’s first 3D printed vinyl record store with limited edition sleeves designed by Kate Moross. This was the first time a full length track had ever been printed using 3D printing technology, with all proceeds donated to Nordoff Robbins.

DELIVERY

21 video assets with cutdowns for social and customs for press
3 music tracks and bespoke vinyl covers, designed by Kate Moross
3D printed record shop pop-up store with performance, 24HR A&R event and performance
Bespoke SoundCloud app
Microsite

RESULTS

Increased brand perception from "not for me" to a brand given "kudos" for supporting emerging talent
Converted several key media foes to family through targeted and strategic relationship building over the course of a year
Launched the World's first 3D printed record store
Over 619 pieces of coverage (100% with 2+ key messages)
PR Reach of nearly 700 million (20x higher than previous music campaign)
PR cost per contact: £0.001
Media reach: 6m LDA-29, Frequency: 4
160,000 track listens on SoundCloud
Radio 1 Reach Frequency 6m x 3 – Key messages 2
Video Views across all platforms: From 80,000 in ‘12 to 550,000 vs KPI 271,845
63,000 interactions on Facebook
1200 tweets (3x higher than previous campaigns. Note: age gate on website), including trending in the UL on twitter for the BPM campaign
32,000 views on BACARDÍ.com (8x higher than previous campaigns)
1400 event attendees
Campaign magazine’s ‘Notable campaign of the year’ : ‘The brands that rise to the top are those that focus on great behavioural ideas and purposeful work’ …playfulness is as valid as utility or storytelling…we are all global entities, regardless of size, location or project…fans are now shareholders…social thinking - not social media - should be at the heart of creativity…’

PROJECT PARTNERS FOR BUILDING CREDIBILITY

CAMPAIGN FEEDBACK AND TRIUMPHS

PROJECT 1

24hr A&R with Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine wrote, recorded, released, mixed, mastered and performed a new track live in just 12 hours before launching the track via BBC Radio 1.

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine kicked off the BACARDÍ Beginnings music mentoring program by partnering on an ambitious 24-hour creative project. Together, they wrote, recorded, released, and performed an original track in just one day, pushing the boundaries of music production. Starting in a London studio at 7 a.m., they completed the entire A&R process, culminating in a live performance at The Vaults in Waterloo that evening. This collaboration highlighted the innovative spirit of BACARDÍ Beginnings, providing Bipolar Sunshine with a unique platform to work with Rudimental and showcase his talent to a wider audience.

NUMEROUS PIECES OF CONTENT WERE CREATED TO TARGET DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE

BACARDI BEGINNINGS PROJECT 1 CREATED TRACK

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CONTENT- THIS TIME FROM THE EVENT

PROJECT 1 VISUAL SNAPSHOT

APPROACH

COVERAGE EXAMPLES

A HANDFUL OF PRESS SHOT EXAMPLES

PROJECT 2

BPM with Toddla T & Roses Gabor

Toddla T & Roses Gabor launched their track via a special SoundCloud app. Only the first beat of the track was available on launch, the rest of the track was gradually unlocked one beat at a time via social interactions (tweets/likes). Once fully unlocked, a remix competition launched. Toddla T later released the track on Defected Records further cementing the credibility of the project. There was also significant airplay on BBC Radio 1 and other stations.

NUMEROUS PIECES OF CONTENT WERE CREATED TO TARGET DIFFERENT AUDIENCE, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE

BACARDI BEGINNINGS PROJECT 2 CREATED TRACK

A VISUAL SNAPSHOT OF THE PROJECT

APPROACH

COVERAGE EXAMPLES

A HANDFUL OF PRESS SHOT EXAMPLES

PROJECT 3

AV23D with Kele Okereke & Bobbie Gordon

Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke & Bobbie Gordon Become First Artists To Release Original Track Using 3D Printing Technology In Final BACARDÍ® Beginnings Music Project

The world's first 3D printing record store launched in London as part of the final BACARDÍ Beginnings project, featuring Bloc Party's Kele Okereke and emerging artist Bobbie Gordon. Together, they released the original track "Down Boy" in a limited edition 3D-printed vinyl format, highlighting the innovative fusion of music and technology. The store, open for two days in December, offered music and tech enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase the vinyl, with proceeds benefiting the Nordoff Robbins charity. The release included exclusive record sleeves designed by Studio Moross and celebrated with a live performance by Kele and Bobbie.