Bacardi-Martini’s CMO Jonathan Sully says connecting with the consumer the old-fashioned way is the company’s focus in 2018.
He's confessed to CMO Magazine that he is questioning the role of digital marketing both in terms of bottom-line impact and customer-led strategy.
“Is digital really all we think it is?” What’s behind that? Are we using other media in support of it, and traditional media constructively, and how are we connecting with customers and consumers?” Sully asked.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen brands embark on digital journeys with no end point, no solution, or no result. Once interrogated, which is what we're doing now, we can see that the return perhaps isn’t there to the degree we thought.”
Sully (above) said three words are central to the Bacardi-Martini business: Fearless, founders and family.
“Fearless is about allowing me to go in and question whether digital display is really going to turn our business around, or would we be better bringing people together,” he says.
An example is Bombay Sapphire's ‘Project Botanicals: A Journey To The Edges Of Food, Music & Imagination’.
The brand hosted an immersive experience of cocktails, food, and creative technology in collaboration with Ta-Ku, Studio Neon and Australia’s best cocktail bars in November in both Sydney and Melbourne.
In the two-hour experience, guests travelled through sensory destinations representing Bombay Sapphire botanical locations across the world, tasting four creations conceived by Studio Neon chef Aaron Teece while sipping complementing cocktails.
Adding to the atmosphere was a 360 audio-visual composition created by acclaimed Australian musician, creative and producer Ta-Ku, in collaboration with award-winning animator Sam Price. There were also vivid light installations and an original music composition exclusively for Project Botanicals, inspiring guests to metaphysically voyage to each botanical location.
"By creating an amazing, immersive experience that 6000 people who we entertained as ticket paying advocates told everybody about,” Sully said.
“The emotional experience only spirit brands can provide in these environments is where we have learned to do more. With the botanicals program, we’ve built an emotional connection, which is attracting interest and new people to Bombay. "
Connecting with the customer is key
The company is also actively encouraging its staff to connect with the customer. A recent example is its ‘Back to the Bar’ initiative as part of the company's Founder's Day activities in early February, celebrating its establishment by Facundo Bacardi in 1862.
Around 5500 Bacardi employees in more than 40 countries were encouraged to hang out in bars to “Back to the Bar is our version of ‘walking the factory floor,’” said Mahesh Madhavan, CEO of Bacardi Limited. “It puts our people in touch with what’s happening in our business in real life and real time — something you can’t truly understand behind a computer screen, sitting through a presentation, or dissecting a spreadsheet.”
Bacardi chief marketing officer John Burke added: "The cocktail revolution continues to flourish as more people from more places are drinking more kinds of drinks than ever before. When it comes to what’s new and next in cocktails and occasions, there is no question we learn more about our business in the bar than we do in the boardroom.
"What makes this day really special and different is that the whole company is making its way out into bars. It reminds us all why we do what we do and gets us into contact with the great creativity of the bartenders who lead innovation in our industry."
Sully agrees: “I want my guys, team and culture to be fearless in saying I think it should look like this because I know the barman at Ms Collins in Melbourne and what they want out of my brand.”
On the subject of family, he adds to CMO: “Everybody in the company is called ‘primo’, which in Spanish means ‘cousin’. It’s a nice nuance Facundo Bacardi, the great, great grandson of the founder in 1862, has led. This is where the authenticity and brand love comes in.”
Talking with - not to - the consumer
Becoming part of the conversation has also been an important strategy. An example is the way 42 Below vodka became involved in Australia’s gay marriage vote. It wasn't the picture or post that proved vital, it was the conversation, Sully says. In this instance, the brand already had authenticity by being associated with the LGBTIQ community.
“By empowering the individual brand manager, we got stuck into that conversation as the tone of voice of 42 Below, a reverent New Zealand brand,” he says. “We interjected into the conversation and responded. The reach numbers were huge. But what I was impacted by was the longevity of conversation, the fun, and the fact it was real people talking to real people. The conversation itself brought out not just advocates, but brand defenders.”
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