Ok I’m ready to rum-ble!
Ah, so you’ve heard of Cuban spirit maker Bacardi then?
Let’s just say I’m no stranger to the odd strawberry daiquiri.
Well if you’re familiar with the brand you’ll know Bacardi’s greatest strength is its story. The brand has been around for more than 150 years and had front row seats to some of the most tumultuous years of Cuban history. The Bacardi family story is one of freedom fighters, revolution and exile – and it’s told through a variety of mediums on its digital channels.
How do you condense that much history into something that’s not a total snorefest?
The good old fashioned comic book, that’s how. Bacardi has enlisted the help of comic book legends Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Iron Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four) and Michael Allred (Madman, Wolverine and the X-Men, Daredevil) to help turn the Bacardi story into a digestible graphic novel, in a move that feels both retro and innovative at the same time. The comic is available to read online via a page turning doohicky, or you can download it in pdf.
But not everyone wants a history lesson with their Cuba libre right?
No, as you so astutely point out, many people have only one thing in mind when they think of Bacardi.
Getting it down their gullets.
Precisely. Fortunately, Bacardi has plenty of content available for dipsophiles too – from an online repertoire of rum-based cocktails (with easy-to-follow instructions), to an app that encourages global competition between mixologists.
Cocktail recipes and spirits brands go together like Singapore slings and maraschino cherries.
Your cocktail knowledge is beginning to frighten me. But yes, you’re right, if you’re a content brand with an alcoholic product you’d be majorly missing a trick if you didn’t offer cocktail recipes.
So what else is Bacardi doing?
Last year the brand started a new campaign called ‘Untameable’, which covered print advertising but also a series of high-quality films produced expressly for the brand. This is our favourite.
The redemptive power of magic? Really?
The combination of sleight-of-hand and social underdogs just gets me. What can I say?
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