Bacardi Back to the Bar | This is how to celebrate a party as supplier to the hospitality industry!
Bacardi employees went massively ‘Back to the Bar’ last February 8th at 4.00 pm in honor of the 156th Founder’s Day – the anniversary of the brand’s founding. Not only in Amsterdam but from London to Shanghai, Miami to Dubai and in the rest of the world, Bacardi staff left their office to get closer to consumers and cocktail trends as a tribute to the company’s rich corporate culture. Great way to celebrate a party as a supplier to the hospitality industry!
Bacardi Back to the Bar | Unorthodox marketing
“In our industry we learn more about innovations and trends in a bar than we learn in the boardroom.” A quote from Chief Marketing Officer John Burke of Bacardi Limited. February 8 wasn’t just ‘another day at the office’ for about 5,500 Bacardi employees worldwide. They left their offices and took to the streets to visit hundreds of bars all over the world in honor of the 156-year-old entrepreneurial spirit and culture of the organization. The first ‘back to the bar’ took place on February 8, but the activity continues throughout February.
Mahesh Madhavan, CEO of Bacardi Limited: “Back to the bar is our version of ‘the voices from the factory floor’. It ensures that our people get in touch with what is going on in our industry, in real life, and right now. Something that you don’t understand from ‘behind a computer screen’, by a company presentation or working through spreadsheets. For us, Founder’s Day is more than a celebration; it is a reminder that we are at our best when we act the same way as the founders of Bacardi did.” Madhavan, who started his career with Bacardi more than 20 years ago, says that ‘Back to the Bar’ is becoming a new tradition at Bacardi that originated from one of the most valuable principles of the brand. “For seven generations, the organization has made its team aware that they are all sales people, whether we work in finance, HR or the operation. This cultural identity applies more than ever today. No time is spent better than among the target group, to experience directly what happens with our accounts, with bartenders, restaurant owners, and more importantly: our consumers.”
With unorthodox marketing and the unique symbol of a bat on every BACARDI rum bottle, the organization has one of the most distinctive trademarks in the beverage industry. In the early years of Bacardi, innovative marketing tactics were the norm. Pappy Valiente, the organization’s first brand ambassador, waited for tourists at Havana airport to greet them and ‘prepare’ a BACARDI rum cocktail. While Tommy Dewar asked his friends to continuously ask for DEWAR’S at bars, regardless of whether this was available. The philosophy of staying close to consumers has been part of the organization since day one and remains the core of the family business.
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