Page 35 - Journal of Strategic Marketing Magazine - April 2019
P. 35
BRAND AMBASSADORS
been creeping up in marketing, ever
so quietly. Rather than recruit big
name celebrities (who usually come
with hefty price tags anyway) and
their huge followings to be part of
a campaign, brands are recognising
the value of using ‘ordinary people’
with smaller followings. Even though
they don’t reach mass, they are more
engaged with and closer to their
followers, which reinforces the belief of
genuine connections. However, with this
campaign, Bacardi had the best of both
worlds as they used micro-inluencers,
while still reaching mass, due to the 7
000 staff the brand utilised.
With the incorporation of this digital
aspect, traditional social media metrics
were also used to gauge the success of
the campaign. Several hashtags were
used, including #BacktotheBar, while
trends in the alcohol space were also
touched on in posts, including “drink
less but better”, “instagrammable
handcrafted cocktails” and “no/low is
the new go-to”.
Brands built in bars, not boardrooms
“‘Back to the Bar’ is based on our belief
that our brands are built in bars, not
boardrooms. As Bacardi celebrates
our 157 anniversary, it’s important
th
to reconnect with our roots, think like
founders and put our own feet on “In Kenya we did more on whiskey, This campaign will be rolled out
the street to see irst-hand how our Mozambique would be Martini and again next year, as well as in the
business, bars and consumers are in South Africa it’s mainly based on foreseeable future, as it has been
changing,” says Mahesh Madhavan, Bombay Sapphire,” comments Portier. incorporated into Bacardi’s long-
CEO of Bacardi Limited. “For Bacardi “The cocktail revolution continues term strategy. In the shorter term,
people, visiting bars is often more work as more people from more places the company is busy with projects in
than play as we do on-the-ground drink more varieties of spirits than ever South Africa for its newly-acquired
research and put ourselves in the before, and bars and bartenders are Patrón Tequila, as well as several other
role of salespeople and social media on the frontlines,” says Jacob Briars, of its brands, with the country being a
inluencers.” Bacardi’s global advocacy director. priority market in Sub-Saharan Africa
“In addition to spending time with for Bacardi.
Customised cocktails consumers, Back to the Bar is a chance As Portier concludes, “We test some
A standout feature of the campaign for us to thank the bars and restaurants activations and activities in South Africa
was the choice of cocktails served per who support us and the world’s best that we then rollout to other African
market. These were dependant on the bartenders, who are truly on the cutting markets like Nigeria and Kenya.”
dominant Bacardi brand that patrons in edge of what’s new and next in our
the market prefer. business,” he added.
Strategic Marketing - p33
been creeping up in marketing, ever
so quietly. Rather than recruit big
name celebrities (who usually come
with hefty price tags anyway) and
their huge followings to be part of
a campaign, brands are recognising
the value of using ‘ordinary people’
with smaller followings. Even though
they don’t reach mass, they are more
engaged with and closer to their
followers, which reinforces the belief of
genuine connections. However, with this
campaign, Bacardi had the best of both
worlds as they used micro-inluencers,
while still reaching mass, due to the 7
000 staff the brand utilised.
With the incorporation of this digital
aspect, traditional social media metrics
were also used to gauge the success of
the campaign. Several hashtags were
used, including #BacktotheBar, while
trends in the alcohol space were also
touched on in posts, including “drink
less but better”, “instagrammable
handcrafted cocktails” and “no/low is
the new go-to”.
Brands built in bars, not boardrooms
“‘Back to the Bar’ is based on our belief
that our brands are built in bars, not
boardrooms. As Bacardi celebrates
our 157 anniversary, it’s important
th
to reconnect with our roots, think like
founders and put our own feet on “In Kenya we did more on whiskey, This campaign will be rolled out
the street to see irst-hand how our Mozambique would be Martini and again next year, as well as in the
business, bars and consumers are in South Africa it’s mainly based on foreseeable future, as it has been
changing,” says Mahesh Madhavan, Bombay Sapphire,” comments Portier. incorporated into Bacardi’s long-
CEO of Bacardi Limited. “For Bacardi “The cocktail revolution continues term strategy. In the shorter term,
people, visiting bars is often more work as more people from more places the company is busy with projects in
than play as we do on-the-ground drink more varieties of spirits than ever South Africa for its newly-acquired
research and put ourselves in the before, and bars and bartenders are Patrón Tequila, as well as several other
role of salespeople and social media on the frontlines,” says Jacob Briars, of its brands, with the country being a
inluencers.” Bacardi’s global advocacy director. priority market in Sub-Saharan Africa
“In addition to spending time with for Bacardi.
Customised cocktails consumers, Back to the Bar is a chance As Portier concludes, “We test some
A standout feature of the campaign for us to thank the bars and restaurants activations and activities in South Africa
was the choice of cocktails served per who support us and the world’s best that we then rollout to other African
market. These were dependant on the bartenders, who are truly on the cutting markets like Nigeria and Kenya.”
dominant Bacardi brand that patrons in edge of what’s new and next in our
the market prefer. business,” he added.
Strategic Marketing - p33
