‘Lessons taken away’ from Bacardi mega party

“Lessons were taken away” from Bacardi’s elaborate gig hosted in the Bermuda Triangle last year, the group’s CEO Mike Dolan has admitted.

Bacardi’s mega party in the Bermuda Triangle was the group’s “biggest ever brand experience”

Speaking exclusively to The Spirits Business, Dolan said the group had experienced criticism after hosting its “biggest ever brand experience” six months before confirming plans to shed 10% of its North American workforce.

In October last year, the group flew 1,800 people to a party on a private island in the Bermuda Triangle, where stars including Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding and Kendrick Lemar took to the stage.

“In many regards it was dead on and achieved what we wanted it to, in others there were lessons that we have taken away,” said Dolan, who was confirmed as Bacardi’s permanent CEO in January this year.

“We could have done things a bit better and been a bit more thoughtful. But when we do more on music, which we will, we will take this as a learning curve and apply it better next time.”

Dolan added that part of Bacardi’s central marketing strategies is linking the company with other industries, or “verticals”, including music fashion and sport.

The group recently appointed former IMG Worldwide executive Akiko Maeda to the new role of vice president of fashion and hired a number of “experts” to enhance the presence of Bacardi in each of these respective fields.

Dolan also attributed internal criticism of the gig to its previous marketing structure.

‘Dramatic change’

The CEO said he wanted to “take a sword and make dramatic change” at the company and completely overhaul its marketing and advertising division.

The group revealed plans to streamline its global advertising business in April this year, appointing BBDO Worldwide and OMD Worldwide – both part of Omnicom Group – to handle its entire publicity, media and digital operations.

In order to “match up” with this new agency relationship internally at Bacardi, the company restructured its own marketing division with the creation of two “Centres of Excellence”, one based in North America and another in Europe.

Speaking of the gig, Dolan said: “When you have a structure as a global group that is somewhat disconnected from the regions, you get these criticisms.

“But I think what we have tried to do is counteract those problems to make sure when we do these sorts of programmes they are fully brought into the endorsed by people in the regions and are not super-imposed at corporate level.”

While a number of key executives have left Bacardi in the wake of the group’s structural changes, Dolan has stood by his hardline approach, saying the group is “in this to win”.

To view our full interview with Mike Dolan, see the September 2015 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.