How Bacardi has been creating meaningful cultural experiences that endure

Consumer behaviour has witnessed a paradigm shift in the last two years, with people now gearing up to set their dates for some of the biggest social events slated for this year. Today, live events form the cornerstone of experiential marketing as these unique, memorable, and enjoyable experiences, create a positive space for brand building.

Halloween as a celebration in India has evolved over the years and today, it is more than just a party. It is a medium of self-expression and pop culture. Casa Bacardi has been owning Halloween as a cultural moment for a few years and this year, with an immersive event held in Delhi and pop-up parties across other cities. With 5 music performances, 5 immersive experiences, curated cocktails, and food Bacardi brought Halloween to consumers – bigger and better than ever before.

In conversation with dgully, Sameeksha Uniyal, Brand Lead, Bacardi, Bacardi India & South East Asia, speaks about how Casa Bacardi has evolved into a unique cultural, immersive experience built on self-expression through versatile properties from Pop-ups to Halloween to NH7 Weekender.

How has Casa Bacardi been owning Halloween conversation over the years, with a focus on creative expression, culture and community?

India has an appetite for cultural experiences, and according to a 2022 report by EY, 31% of consumers prioritise ‘Experience’. To adapt to the evolving preferences of the consumers, we are constantly exploring new ways to engage with them, both online and in-person, bringing them together in shared interests and moments. Bacardi has not only been owning the cultural conversations, but is also at the forefront of driving cultural experiences. With consumers at the heart of everything we do, everything we do is designed to encourage consumers to do what moves them.

Casa Bacardi Halloween has been the foremost platform for creative self-expression throughout the Halloween season in India. We started in 2018, to give consumers an opportunity to own their unique personalities. Today, it has evolved into an experience that celebrates creativity, community, and culture.

To add that unique edge to our Halloween experiences, we tap into consumer interests to better engage with them by curating moments that matter, with something for everyone. This includes expressive make-up, cult films, statement costumes, mixology and prosthetics workshops, short horror film screenings and storytelling sessions. We work with some of the most creative minds from Homegrown to develop these shared experiences and it’s great to see the level of enthusiasm and love each year.

What were the plans for Halloween by Casa Bacardi for this year?

Halloween, for us, is more than just another day of the year. From the beginning, we have been curating it as a night to remember, starting the moment one steps into the venue. From one big bang party in Delhi to activating 200+on-tradeoutlets across India, we are constantly reimagining ways in which our experiences can create impact –visually, sonically and as a community.

Applying this formula to this year’s event, it was set in an 18,000 sq ft warehouse fuelled by a five-hour takeover, four performances, and three immersive rooms where over 1,500 guests were inspired to escape, indulge, shapeshift, play, and quench. Music is an important pillar of all our experiences and we had high-energy performances by popular artists we have worked with closely over the years like BLOT!, KSC, Febby Momma, and Vridian. The curated Halloween cocktails, illusion rooms set the tone for the night, and it was great to see our guests do what moves them and flaunt it in full costume adding to the overall ambiance.

Our consumers have discerning tastes and preferences, and their consumption patterns have changed dramatically in recent years, especially as outdoor social events are back up and running. We are committed to giving them an immersive, holistic experience that’s focused on self-expression, liberating spirits, and elevating moods. We are constantly reimagining the Casa Bacardi experience to make it bigger, better every year.

How has the response of the consumers been for the previous years?

The response to Casa Bacardi Halloween has been overwhelming with over 1,100+ attendees in the previous years. This motivates us to think bigger and more creatively by experimenting with newer formats, themes, and platforms that align with our consumers’ tastes and passions. We are excited to bring such experiences to them each year.

In 2021, we hosted an experience at Dhanmill with curated mixology sessions, prosthetics workshops and sneaker customizations that were well-received. Keeping our consumers at the center, we’ve been extremely agile across activations given the dynamic nature of their behavior.

During the lockdown, we crafted our strategy to adapt to digital festivals and curated an invite-only Casa Bacardi – Halloween Staycation at Abode Bombay in 2020, while following all COVID safety protocols. Developing and adapting platforms in this manner to keep pace with consumer needs and expectations has helped us strengthen our consumer connections and embed ourselves in pop-culture conversations.

How has Halloween as a celebration in India evolved over the years and what changes did you notice in consumer behavior this year?

Consumers today are looking for moments and experiences that are unique and distinctive and want to share them, as they unfold, in real-time. They have become open and receptive to new formats, platforms, and avenues that align with their beliefs, preferences, and lifestyles. After two years of lockdown and virtual events, they are eager to step out and be a part of events happening in their city and to experience them as they happen. This pent-up demand for in person events is reflected in the response we’ve seen across experiences by Casa Bacardi, and it is wonderful to see this level of excitement from enthusiasts to do what moves them.

How has Casa Bacardi evolved into a unique cultural, immersive experience founded on self-expression through versatile properties from Pop-ups to Halloween to NH7 Weekender?

Launched in 2019, Casa Bacardi is a celebration of the brand’s Caribbean roots. Over the last three years, it has only grown bigger, starting from an on-ground experience, and expanding to the virtual realm during the pandemic. India has a rich appetite for diverse, cultural experiences, and we are committed to engaging consumers who are actively seeking large-scale festivals such as Bacardi NH7 Weekender to bring them together to experience shared interests and moments.

With our commitment to keep consumers and their preferences at the heart of everything we do, we are always exploring ways to bring to them newer avenues and innovative formats to give them the opportunity to express their individualities. Casa Bacardi is a confluence of culture, creative expression, and community and our events such as the Casa Bacardi Halloween, Casa Bacardi On Tour and Bacardi NH7 Weekender allow consumers to immerse themselves in a holistic experience, focused on self-expression, liberating spirits, and elevating moods.

At Bacardi in India, it is important for us to understand our consumers, anticipate their needs, and remain agile in creating experiences for them through disruptive innovations. Adapting to meet consumer needs has helped us become entrenched in pop culture conversations, and consumers now look to us for the next wave of cultural experiences.

In keeping with this, we decided to take experiential moments to newer avenues, and in 2021, we transported consumers virtually to  the Caribbean with India’s first fully immersive 3D experience that brought together 10 artists and hundreds of attendees to express, connect, dance, and do what moves them, sitting right inside their homes. Consumers got the  full experience starting from the moment they entered the bat-shaped island in a hot air balloon. They went on to explore the island completely with friends, play a host of virtual games and enjoy a sunset by the beach. This was a never-before-seen celebration of music, culture, and dance, and connected audiences virtually through photo booths, games and mobile, and  in-world chat. Avatars greeted attendees, teaching them how to mix various ingredients and make their very own Bacardi real-time customizable cocktails.

That said, we believe there is always room for improvement, and we look closely into every experience to enable us to consistently meet and exceed audience expectations. This consumer trust and connection has fortified our commitment year-on-year and fuels our strategic direction towards curating moments that have something for everyone.

How has consumer behaviour towards live events witnessed a change over the last two years?

Interestingly, consumer behaviour has evolved significantly. They have become more open to exploring new avenues and platforms for experiences. In the last two years, we’ve witnessed new consumption trends and we’ve stayed attuned to these patterns and explored innovative formats to stay relevant. In this way, developing and adapting platforms to meet consumer needs is helping us strengthen consumer connections.

The pandemic propelled digital platforms and given the possibilities of innovation that virtual events offer; we believe they are here to stay. Virtual events offer the ability to transcend geographical boundaries, enabling people to reach nooks and corners of the country, and opens doors to tier II and III markets, where consumers are ready and waiting for cultural experiences.

While nothing can take away the charm and value that lies in face-to-face interactions that on-ground experiences offer, we see hybrid avenues which infuse the best of both worlds continuing to expand further in tandem.

How important is experiential marketing for brand building? How has Experiential Marketing evolved with Consumer Passion Moments at the core?

Experiential marketing has helped us generate authentic brand awareness, as it appeals to consumers’ senses through thoughtfully created experiences. We at Bacardi in India, have for decades leveraged the many passion points of our consumers in our experiential marketing strategies – be it music, culture, food, or creativity, and this is evident in our properties such as Casa Bacardi and Bacardi NH7 Weekender.

When it comes to experiential marketing, Seasonal Moment Marketing taps into the heightened excitement, forming the perfect foil to support brand-building efforts. The foundational elements of our marketing strategy are based on a solid hook between moments and passion points to engage, amplify, excite, and enrich our audience and their experiences with us.

How do live events form the cornerstone of experiential marketing?

Experiential events present an amalgamation of different cultures, help form communities, and bolster a stronger, vibrant connect between the audience and the brand. In a dynamic marketplace where consumers are exposed to a variety of choices, building unique experiences help the brand stand out, while strengthening brand resonance.

Live events are not restricted to brand ethos and values, but they create experiences and shared moments. Our marquee events such as the Casa Bacardi Halloween, Casa Bacardi On Tour, and Bacardi NH7 Weekender are a testament to how we have been able to create vibrant communities and meaningful cultural experiences that endure.