BACARDÍ Beginnings

ROLE: UK MUSIC AND BRAND PARTNERSHIPS LEAD AND CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR AT BACARDÍ

Overview

I reimagined and led BACARDÍ Beginnings, a UK music and cultural platform designed to shift brand preference and cultural relevance with a harder-to-reach audience. The core move was strategic: I transitioned the programme from an event-led PR platform into a content-first, partnership-driven campaign system, engineered to extend reach, increase ROI and build long-term brand equity.

Beginnings paired established artists with emerging talent to create and release original music in ways that pushed the boundaries of promotion, distribution and culture-led storytelling. I owned the strategic direction across PR, partnerships, content, talent, experiential and media, ensuring the platform delivered both credibility and measurable brand impact.

The Challenge

Despite significant investment and a credible music heritage, BACARDÍ was underperforming with a key audience segment in the UK. The brand needed a platform that felt culturally authentic, not transactional sponsorship, and that could earn attention in music and lifestyle media without relying on heavy paid support.

Strategy

I designed Beginnings as a repeatable platform built on three principles:

Credibility through talent and partners: work with established artists, respected emerging talent, and partners that amplify trust
Content-first distribution: build story architecture and assets that travel beyond the event moment
Innovation with purpose: earn attention by doing something genuinely new, not “brand theatre”

This structure enabled multi-audience storytelling, from music press and tastemakers to mainstream consumers.

The Platform: Three Collaborations, Three Breakthrough Releases

I led the development and delivery of three flagship music projects, each engineered to create a cultural story, a press narrative and a fresh distribution mechanic.

Project 1: 24-hour A&R creation with Rudimental & Bipolar Sunshine
A full track created, produced and launched within a single day, culminating in a live performance and release amplified through major media channels, including BBC Radio 1.

Project 2: BPM with Toddla T & Roses Gabor
A release designed for digital behaviour: the track was unlocked progressively through social interactions via a bespoke SoundCloud experience, followed by a remix mechanic that extended conversation and community participation.

Project 3: AV23D with Kele Okereke & Bobbie Gordon
I launched the world’s first 3D-printed vinyl record store, releasing an original track in limited-edition 3D-printed format with bespoke sleeves designed by Kate Moross, with proceeds supporting Nordoff Robbins.

Partnerships & Delivery

I managed a £1.2m budget and led partnerships spanning music, media and cultural institutions, including Coda Music, Universal Music, The BRIT Awards, Soho House Group, MAMA Group and The Fly. I owned artist selection, contract negotiation, influencer relationships and the delivery of an integrated PR and content machine.

Deliverables included:

A full content suite (long-form, cutdowns and social assets)
Three original music releases and bespoke creative identity
A bespoke SoundCloud experience and microsite ecosystem
Live moments designed to generate press, content and community participation

Impact

Beginnings delivered a step-change in BACARDÍ’s cultural credibility in the UK, moving perception from “not for me” to a brand recognised for championing emerging talent. The programme generated significant earned media, high levels of engagement and strong brand reappraisal, while also strengthening long-term relationships with previously resistant media and tastemaker communities.

Campaign was recognised by Campaign as a Notable Campaign of the Year for its behavioural insight, cultural credibility and creative ambition.

Strategic Impact

BACARDÍ Beginnings became a blueprint for how a spirits brand can move from sponsorship to cultural participation, using talent, content and innovation to earn attention at scale. The platform proved that culture-led partnerships and content-first PR can shift perception, build brand equity and deliver measurable commercial value in a competitive, youth-driven category.

PROJECT PARTNERS FOR BUILDING CREDIBILITY

CAMPAIGN FEEDBACK AND TRIUMPHS

24hr A&R with Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine wrote, recorded, released, mixed, mastered and performed a new track live in just 12 hours before launching the track via BBC Radio 1.

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine kicked off the BACARDÍ Beginnings music mentoring program by partnering on an ambitious 24-hour creative project. Together, they wrote, recorded, released, and performed an original track in just one day, pushing the boundaries of music production. Starting in a London studio at 7 a.m., they completed the entire A&R process, culminating in a live performance at The Vaults in Waterloo that evening. This collaboration highlighted the innovative spirit of BACARDÍ Beginnings, providing Bipolar Sunshine with a unique platform to work with Rudimental and showcase his talent to a wider audience.

NUMEROUS PIECES OF CONTENT WERE CREATED TO TARGET DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE

BACARDI BEGINNINGS PROJECT 1 CREATED TRACK

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CONTENT- THIS TIME FROM THE EVENT

PROJECT 1 VISUAL SNAPSHOT

APPROACH

COVERAGE EXAMPLES

A HANDFUL OF PRESS SHOT EXAMPLES

PROJECT 2

BPM with Toddla T & Roses Gabor

Toddla T & Roses Gabor launched their track via a special SoundCloud app. Only the first beat of the track was available on launch, the rest of the track was gradually unlocked one beat at a time via social interactions (tweets/likes). Once fully unlocked, a remix competition launched. Toddla T later released the track on Defected Records further cementing the credibility of the project. There was also significant airplay on BBC Radio 1 and other stations.

NUMEROUS PIECES OF CONTENT WERE CREATED TO TARGET DIFFERENT AUDIENCE, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE

BACARDI BEGINNINGS PROJECT 2 CREATED TRACK

A VISUAL SNAPSHOT OF THE PROJECT

APPROACH

COVERAGE EXAMPLES

A HANDFUL OF PRESS SHOT EXAMPLES

PROJECT 3

AV23D with Kele Okereke & Bobbie Gordon

Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke & Bobbie Gordon Become First Artists To Release Original Track Using 3D Printing Technology In Final BACARDÍ® Beginnings Music Project

The world's first 3D printing record store launched in London as part of the final BACARDÍ Beginnings project, featuring Bloc Party's Kele Okereke and emerging artist Bobbie Gordon. Together, they released the original track "Down Boy" in a limited edition 3D-printed vinyl format, highlighting the innovative fusion of music and technology. The store, open for two days in December, offered music and tech enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase the vinyl, with proceeds benefiting the Nordoff Robbins charity. The release included exclusive record sleeves designed by Studio Moross and celebrated with a live performance by Kele and Bobbie.