From the category archives:

Spirits marketing and PR

Bacardi Ad: The Outsider

by Michael Dietsch on July 28, 2010 · 11 comments

in Rum,Spirits marketing and PR

Number 4 in Bacardi’s series of short films/long ads has hit YouTube this morning. In the interest of disclosure, Think Espionage, the agency that produced these films, invited me to attend the premiere at Tales of the Cocktail on Thursday afternoon, while munching on tasty treats and sipping a Cuba Libre mixed by Bacardi Global Ambassador David Cordoba. Disclaimer aside, I enjoy the hell out of this ad. Filmed at a real bar in London (though the speakeasy front is a fiction), the film differs from the previous three in that it stars an actual bartender, Nicolas Saint-Jean.

[Click through to watch large, in HD.]

I expect this one to spark some comments and maybe a little snark. Bring it on.

11 comments

Bacardi ad: The Apothecary

by Michael Dietsch on May 19, 2010 · 5 comments

in Rum,Spirits marketing and PR

Finally, the third in a series of short films (or long ads) by Bacardi. In this installment, our intrepid traveler enters a bar in what’s probably London. As with The Samurai and The Hummingbird videos, this film highlights bartending technique and skill. Take a look.

[As before, click through to watch large, in HD.]

Again, I want to point out some of the tools I covet. The handled jigger is awesome, but what I really love is the metal straw.

The firm that put these together, Think Espionage, is running a contest for the most original spin on a Mojito. The prizes are sweet: a first edition copy of the Savoy Cocktail Book (signed by Harry Craddock), a Yarai mixing glass, and a Japanese barspoon. To enter, though, you’ll need to be on Facebook. Go to the True Originals fan page and enter by posting your recipe on the wall. (If you’re not on Facebook, you can leave the recipe in the comments on this post. I’ll make sure it gets to Liana at Think Espionage.

Think Espionage is working right now on a fourth video, and I’ll have more details on that soon.

[In the interest of full disclosure: Shortly after the first video appeared here, Liana sent me a bottle of Bacardi's limited edition release of its original 44.5% ABV formula rum, which I quite enjoyed, especially in a classic daiquiri.]

5 comments

Bacardi ad: The Hummingbird

by Michael Dietsch on January 27, 2010 · 6 comments

in Rum,Spirits marketing and PR

Back in mid-November, I linked out to the first in a series of “mini-movies” showcasing bartenders and Bacardi rum. “The Samurai” featured a Japanese bartender making a daiquiri cocktail for a mysterious gentleman. I mentioned that two more such videos had been produced and promised to link out to them when they were available.

The second video, the Hummingbird, is now up on YouTube, and it’s worth watching.

[As before, click through to YouTube to watch it in large HD.]

Again, I don’t think it’s practical to crack open a coconut in a busy nightclub, but it sure looks cool, doesn’t it?

I can’t tell for certain, but it sounds like the voice actor might have been recast. The actor who plays the bartender (who, if I may, is dead-sexy) was trained by Bacardi Global Ambassador David Cordoba. Her technique is great to watch, and I covet her barspoon.

6 comments

Bacardi viral ads

November 16, 2009

In which Dietsch discusses a viral ad campaign (The Samurai, The Hummingbird, and The Apothecary) by Bacardi rum

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Good touch, bad touch

September 4, 2009

In which Dietsch reviews Xanté pear and cognac liqueur and discusses ways to use it

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What vodka brand will you drink in 25 years?

June 25, 2006

The NYTimes did a piece this week on a new marketing campaign, a collaboration between Svedka and Nerve.com, in which the two companies have commissioned short works in which writers imagine life in the year 2033. I’ll be in my early 60s then, and I know that by 2033, I’ll be retired to a private [...]

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