Havana Club: Cultural Strategy & Community Engagement

CHALLENGE:

Havana Club’s global marketing efforts were historically millennial-focused and rooted in an increasingly dated interpretation of hipster cliches and culture. As hipster culture’s relevance and influence with legal drinking age youth is limited, Havana Club urgently needed a compelling new positioning that could be leveraged to drive a fresh wave of consumer relevance, awareness, recruitment and commercial growth.

INSIGHT:

NERDS identified that the highest propensity to consume rum products amongst a specific 18-25 Gen-Z cohort exists within what NERDS identify as the ‘streetwear-inspired’ profile, a youth consumer group that represents about 33% of all Gen-Z.

STRATEGY:

NERDS worked with Havana Club to reposition the iconic rum brand as synonymous with streetwear culture’s influence at a global and local market level. We did this through the delivery of expert research, insight, strategy and activations, including collaborations, artist tie-ups, cultural insider/influencer marketing programs and the design and delivery of a disruptive convenience store partnership plan lighting-up locally specific hubs of purchase and consumption for our streetwear-inspired consumer. NERDS' work with Havana Club led to the brand unlocking a long-term, global talent partnership with Skepta. As a result, European sales increased by 19% within 12 months of the campaign launch.