BACARDI - EL BARRIO LOCO

TitleBACARDI - EL BARRIO LOCO
BrandBACARDI ESPAÑA
Product/ServiceBACARDI - EL BARRIO LOCO
Category A01. Food & Drink
Entrant BACARDI ESPAñA Barcelona, SPAIN
Idea Creation EL BARRI Barcelona, SPAIN
PR OGILVY SPAIN Barcelona, SPAIN
Production OGILVY SPAIN Barcelona, SPAIN
Credits
Name Company Position
Tristán Steward El Barri Assistant elBarri
Clara Sanchis Ogilvy Account Director
Nacho Magro Ogilvy Creative Director

Why is this work relevant for PR?

Bacardi, together with Albert Adrià, Creative Director of El Bulli and Ferran Adrià's brother, through their company elBarri we created 6 events in 1: a culinary "amusement park" with complex logistics involving only one night, 6 restaurants, 250 guests, 40 media representatives, 8 groups touring, 16 new cocktails crafted specially for the event, and 44 gastronomic elaborations. All in all, an experience to communicate Bacardi's positioning as a leader in innovation and creativity in the art of cocktail-making. The PR action was so unique that cached immediately the attention of the most important media outlets in Spain.

Background

Patterns in the consumption of alcoholic beverages are changing. Consumers tend more and more to demand savory cocktails that can be enjoyed for their taste and quality. In fact, recent trends show a blurring of the lines between modern cuisine and cocktail-making. When it comes to drinking and eating, consumers are no longer functionally-focused. They are after unique experiences to enjoy. In addition, Bacardi seeks to position itself as a leader in innovation. Against this background, Bacardi and Albert Adrià, Creative Director of El Bulli, voted best restaurant in the world, have developed an exciting project that was launched last May: BACARDI INNOVATION LAB. It is the first creative workshop exclusively dedicated to creativity and innovation in the art of cocktail-making. The aim is ambitious: foster a new dialogue between gastronomy and cocktail-making, which will incentivize a revolution, a mutual understanding and a new language for both of these areas.

Describe the creative idea

Barrio Loco (Crazy Neighborhood) is the name given to the event and was the first manifestation of the BACARDI INNOVATION LAB. It is "crazy" because it is something never tried before, with a high risk, and a unique experience that none of the guests (media, Bacardi clients, partners,...) had even imagined. Albert Adrià, Creative Director of El Bulli, and Marc Álvarez, elBarri bartender, together with Bacardi, created a culinary "amusement park" with complex logistics involving only one night, 6 restaurants, 4 Michelin Stars, 250 guests, 40 media representatives, 8 groups touring through different areas, 16 new cocktails crafted specially for the event, and 44 gastronomic elaborations.

Describe the strategy

Our audience were mainly both: media and clients/partners from Bacardi. The media we invited to the events covered from general information media to lifestyle. The project Barrio Loco was announced two months before, when Bacardi's Innovation Lab was presented to the media. When issuing the invitations to the Barrio Loco event we just explained that attendees would live a unique experience in the best restaurants in Barcelona. Therefore, the invitation was really a teaser to create a surprise effect when arriving to the restaurants. El Barrio Loco lived up to its name by turning out to be a pretty crazy experience. The following week, we followed up with the media to ensure publication.

Describe the execution

El Barrio Loco was the first manifestation of this collaborative endeavour. On the night of the 10th of July 2018, 250 guests and 40 media representatives got to explore a high-level dialogue between cuisine and cocktail-making over the course of an itinerant dinner. The event was held across all 6 elBarri restaurants, led by prestigious Catalan chef Albert Adrià and located in the same neighborhood in Barcelona. This 4-hour event offered guests, split into 8 groups, the opportunity to tour through 8 different areas within 6 restaurants who share 4 Michelin Star between them. Diners enjoyed different cocktails at each area, all equally unique and unexpected, as well as 5 or 6 gastronomic masterpieces.

List the results

Media coverage proved the event’s success: 1,000,000 views and a PR value of €508,810. 143 publications about El Barrio Loco, half of them published in the main printed media of Spain. The event was covered from general information media to lifestyle publications and the tone of all the articles was positive. Journalists highlighted the exclusivity of the event and positioned Bacardi at the top of the innovation and creativity in the art of cocktail-making. Coverage: Main printed media (general information): El Periódico La Vanguardia El Mundo ABC La Razón Expansión Main printed media (lifestyle): Cosmopolitan Vanity Fair Elle Quo GQ Woman