CASE STUDY: Bacardi get creative despite alcohol ad laws in Thailand

Background

Alcohol advertising is prohibited in Thailand and alcohol brands have to be creative in getting around this regulation.

Aim

Sanjay Bhasin, CEO, Y&R Thailand said, “Promoting alcohol in the usual way is fraught with difficulties in Thailand and so we had to come up with a creative idea which not only resisted the usual methods employed to publicise alcohol brands but which engaged with the public in a relevant and memorable way whilst still conveying the Bacardi brand values.”   

Execution

Y&R Thailand created a surrogate brand ‘Bat Blast’ and set up events and parties with unique themes and in unusual places.  

To publicise the events, a special ‘Blast Anthem’ was written and played out on the streets of Bangkok using synchronised car alarms, which was then played back at the ‘Bat Blast’ parties at a special ‘Blast Moment’.

Results

The campaign saw over 2,500 party animals attending the ‘Bat Blasts’, a record for events organised by Bacardi in Thailand, as well as attracting a large amount of free national media coverage.  

The ‘Blast Anthem’ has even proved so popular that people have been trying to buy the ‘Bat Blast’ car alarm at stores in Bangkok. The campaign continues to be popular, with the ‘Bat Blast’ Facebook site attracting 7,500 fans to date.  

Gautam Gangoli, marketing and sales director at Bacardi Thailand, said, “This campaign really caught the imagination of people in Bangkok using a very fresh approach to publicising the Bacardi brand and we are very happy with the results so far.”