bacardi: unfiltered joy for a filtered generation

This case study explores how I approach brand strategy through the lens of cultural relevance, emotional resonance, and creative clarity.

Bacardi leans heavily into its heritage and storytelling, drawing on its Cuban roots and rich brand legacy to emotionally connect with consumers. Simultaneously, the brand has embraced premiumization (launching premium products to keep high end consumers engaged) and product innovation, launching upscale offerings and limited-edition variants to appeal to higher-end markets. On the digital front, Bacardi invests in engaging social media campaigns, influencer collaborations, and experiential activations, creating immersive brand experiences tailored to today’s audiences. Through this blend of legacy, innovation, and modern engagement, Bacardi balances authenticity with relevance.

This case study explores how Bacardi can shift from being a party-first spirit to a brand that celebrates unfiltered joy — emotional connection, authenticity, and softness — all values that matter deeply to Gen Z.

While Bacardi continues to invest in premiumization, heritage-driven storytelling, and immersive digital experiences, the brand's emotional positioning still leans heavily on energy, nightlife, and external celebration. My case study builds on this foundation — but shifts the cultural lens. It reframes rebellion for a new generation not as loud expression, but as emotional honesty and unfiltered connection. In an age where Gen Z values softness, presence, and realness over performance, Bacardi has the opportunity to lead not just in product or content, but in emotional relevance. This strategy doesn’t replace what Bacardi is doing — it deepens it.

strategic roadmap

  • Brand challenge

    Bacardi’s high-energy, party-first identity risks feeling out of touch with a generation that values emotional safety, authenticity, and real connection.

  • Cultural insight

    For Gen Z, rebellion isn’t about being loud — it’s about being real, soft, and unapologetically yourself.

  • Strategy

    Reposition Bacardi as the champion of Unfiltered Joy — a brand that celebrates emotionally honest, low-pressure ways of connecting and celebrating.

  • Activation

    Each idea brings the strategy to life by inviting people to experience joy without performance — from phone-free parties to stay-in kits and community storytelling.

  • work method

    I defined the challenge, shaped the cultural insight, led the strategy and tone, and used AI as a creative partner to sharpen and stress-test the work.

  1. brand challenge

Bacardi has always stood for energy, rebellion, and celebration — from Havana dance floors to festival culture around the globe.

But times are changing. Gen Z and younger Millennials are redefining how they celebrate. They’re moving away from pressure-heavy, performative party culture and gravitating toward emotionally safe, intimate spaces. Joy still matters — but not at the expense of comfort, control, or authenticity.

At the same time, the spirits market is more crowded and chaotic than ever. Celebrity launches, craft competitors, viral micro-brands — all fighting for attention.

Bacardi risks becoming background noise.

  • The challenge:
     How can Bacardi stay true to its bold, rebellious DNA — while becoming emotionally relevant to a generation seeking realness, not performance?

2. cultural insight

Celebration has changed. It’s no longer about proving you’re having fun — it’s about actually feeling good.

Today’s younger consumers are navigating identity, anxiety, burnout, and hyper-curation. What they crave is not another wild night out — but moments of honest expression, deep connection, and emotional comfort.

Rebellion doesn’t have to be loud anymore. In this culture, rebellion can mean choosing rest, presence, and vulnerability.

Bacardi’s original spirit of rebellion doesn’t need to disappear. It needs to evolve.

3. strategy

Reposition Bacardi as the champion of Unfiltered Joy — a brand that creates space for real celebration: unfiltered, unposed, and emotionally free.

This isn’t about going soft. It’s about growing up. Bacardi still stands for energy — but now it’s emotional energy, not just external hype.

Strategic Platform: Unfiltered Joy
Bacardi celebrates the real, the relaxed, and the radically authentic.

This lets Bacardi become more than just a drink — it becomes a symbol of emotional freedom, showing up in real moments between real friends, without pressure or performance.

4. activation ideas

  1. The Bacardi Backroom Series
    Intimate, phone-free micro-parties held in laundromats, rooftops, and record stores — co-hosted by underground DJs and local creatives. No guest list, no pressure, no cameras. Just connection.

  2. #UnfilteredFridays
    A weekly content ritual celebrating the realest, most joyful unfiltered moments from Bacardi fans. No edits, no poses. The most authentic submissions win gifts and get featured — rewarding realness over polish.

  3. The Bacardi Couch Drop
    Celebrating the new joy of staying in. Surprise drop kits with rum, playlists, fuzzy socks, and cozy rituals sent to creators and fans. Film campaign shows people laughing, lounging, connecting — without the pressure to “go out.”

  4. Unfiltered Label Edition
    Limited-edition bottles that feature real Bacardi fans’ handwritten stories, joyful memories, or voice notes via QR code. Each bottle feels like a keepsake — and makes the product feel more alive, more human.

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