Lyft Partners With Demi Lovato Once More For Music-Centric Campaign

BY

To commemorate its drivers earning $500,000 in tips, Lyft partnered with Demi Lovato and surprised four of its musical drivers with a recording session and VIP concert tickets.

Lyft is using the “Ultimate Tip” campaign to display compassion for its drivers, many of whom use the opportunity to network and fund their creative pursuits.

Last month, Lyft sent out a message to its Miami drivers, offering them a chance to audition for a national commercial. The company chose four musician drivers—Jarae Womack, Jermaine Walden, Conrad Clyde and Eric Monterossa—to audition based on “their commitment to music and on their personal stories.”

As each of the artists prepared to audition at Miami’s Gibson Guitar Showroom, Demi Lovato appeared and revealed the campaign’s true intention—to provide free recording time and tickets to Lovato’s March 28 concert.

“We have a responsibility to treat our drivers well and help them succeed,” Lyft head of driver communications and community, Laura Copeland, recently wrote on Medium, revealing how much drivers are paid.

Lyft’s interest in the music industry can be found in its recent hires. Vice president of brand marketing Becca Lawson and vice president of marketing Melissa Waters recently worked at Pandora.

This is also not the first time Demi Lovato has participated in a Lyft campaign. In 2016, she went undercover in a Lyft ride.

Lyft has used music in the past to promote its services, partnering with both popular and emerging artists. Demi Lovato partnered with the rideshare service in 2016 for its “Undercover Lyft” campaign, posing as a driver and surprising passengers with her true identity.

In December, Lyft introduced the Austin Musician Rideshare Program, offering free rides to local musicians on their way to gigs.

Prior to that, the company partnered with Cardi B to offer a themed app skin that included her face and fingernails.

Other brands support emerging musicians as part of overall promotion include American Express, MasterCard, Taco Bell and Red Bull.

At Coachella, Brand Activations Are Starting To Matter As Much As Music

BY

The Coachella festival, with marquee 2018 headliners like Beyoncé and The Weeknd, is a music fan’s paradise. Coachella is also something else, and something almost as important: One of the biggest annual scrums for the advertising industry. The celebrity endorsers, the social media influencers and the Instagram-friendly experiences that dominate advertising in 2018 are all coming to the music festival.

Brands become a big part of the festival’s attraction: they hire well-known performers for private parties, bankroll satellite events outside of the festival, court clients with nights out in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, and set up huge experiential events that would be too pricey or logistically complicated to set up in a large city.

Old-school brands such as American Express and HP all have extensive Coachella presences in a quest to attract social media influencer eyeballs (and schmooze with clients). Then there are Instagram-ready events like Marriott International building a pop-up hotel made out of luxury yurts and Dior renting out a motel near Joshua Tree to promote their Sauvage perfume. Rihanna & Puma’s Fenty x Puma collaboration is holding a private pool party, Levi’s is hosting another of their large Neon Carnival events, and there are dozens of others taking place starting this week and continuing until the festival closes on April 22.

For Marriott, offering a pop-up hotel at Coachella is an easy way to generate buzz (and all important Instagram and Facebook mentions) among a crowd with lots of disposable income for traveling. In order to stay at the Yurts, potential guests need to bid their hotel frequent guest points on the SPG Moments platform. Requiring guests to bid on a chance to stay at the high-end yurts gave Marriott’s promotion an extra layer of buzz.

Coachella is a place for businesses to gain an entire season’s worth of promotion in a week or two, with near-guaranteed social media exposure along the way. Thanks to the combination of a massive number of attendees, proximity to Los Angeles, and a mostly well-off, free spending demographic at the festival that loves to post to social media, advertisers love the event. In a crowded musical festival landscape that also includes big names like Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza, Coachella might just be the advertiser’s favorite.

In an email, Zev Norotsky, founder of ENTER, which worked on the Lucky Brand Desert Jam event, said “The weekend is truly a fashion season unto itself and the quality of attendees at the off-site satellite events is one of the largest advantages over all other pulse points that occur over the course of the year.” He notes that for Lucky Brands, their Desert Jam event offers tangible benefits: They are able to generate measurable ROI from media and sales by holding a well-attended Coachella offsite.

As with so many other things, a lot of it just comes down to the right audiences in the right place. This year, Adult Swim is partnering with the popular Desert Gold festival at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs for the first time for a two-day event. Desert Gold is a long-running event which takes place at the same time as Coachella; BMW is the sponsor of Adult Swim x Desert Gold, and is using the event to promote their new X2 car.

Jason DeMarco, senior vice president and creative director of on-air at Adult Swim spoke to AListDaily about Adult Swim’s approach to Coachella.

“For us, events are a way for us to gather up some fans in one place and give them an experience they might not get anywhere else,” DeMarco says. “I think that, digitally, as our culture becomes more spread out, people value real world experiences that much more and that sort of helps explain the rise of packaged events in general.”

The festival is an economic juggernaut whose financial impact matches its cultural impact; according to projections published in the Los Angeles Times, Coachella and the Stagecoach Festival (which takes place in the same space as Coachella a few weeks later) generate approximately $704 million in economic spending by visitors and businesses. Approximately 100,000 guests are expected at this year’s festival.

Heinz ‘Mayochup’ Is Igniting A Fierce Debate On Twitter

BY

Heinz continues its marketing strategy of stirring debate among consumers, this time on whether Mayochup—a blend of ketchup and mayonnaise—should be released in US stores.

Mayochup is currently a real product, although sold only in the Middle East.

Heinz took to Twitter on Thursday to ask consumers if they would like the product distributed in the US. If at least 500,000 votes point to “yes,” Heinz will offer Mayochup in American retailers. The poll remains open through April 15.

To measure user engagement with the Mayochup campaign thus far, we calculated the earned media value from Heinz’ Twitter poll from April 11-13.

“Earned media” is the value of engagements a brand receives across channels as a result of their marketing efforts. To help quantify what the value of those engagements is worth, Ayzenberg Group established the Ayzenberg Earned Media Value Index (AEMVI) and assigned a quantifiable dollar amount for marketing gains a brand receives from a campaign or individual engagement that includes social media networks and similar digital properties.

Based on the latest AEMVI rates for Twitter interactions, the below tweet generated $68,512.94 in earned media value. This figure was based on values assigned to likes, comments and retweets.

The debate also received some ire from Utahns, who felt their use of “fry sauce” had been ignored.

This isn’t the first time Heinz used consumer opinion—and the Internet’s notorious penchant for arguments—to drive awareness for its products.

Last week, the Kraft brand asked consumers to vote on whether the tomato is a fruit or vegetable. The poll ended April 8, but Heinz is still encouraging people to weigh in through the official microsite. Depending on the outcome, Heinz will sell a limited quantity of ketchup bottles that either read “Heinz Ketchup: Made from Tomato Fruits” or “Heinz Ketchup: Made from Tomato Vegetables.”

The Mayochup campaign is part of a promotion for new Heinz Real Mayonnaise that will span across TV, digital, print, sampling and PR. Commercials introduce the new condiment as Cousin Mayo, a member of the Heinz family that opens a shop in Sandwich, USA.

The name “Mayochup” will also be up for debate later on, the company said in an official release.

Universal Struts ‘Jurassic World’ Fashion Show In Australia

BY

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jurassic Park and the upcoming release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Universal hosted a dinosaur-themed runway show in Australia.

Complete with animatronic dinosaurs, cinematic music and jungle foliage, the Jurassic World event marked the first time Universal Brand Development entered the fashion scene, as well as Australia’s first ever film-fashion industry collaboration for the runway.

Universal teamed up with seven fashion designers from the region: Sarah Joseph Couture, A.BCH, Ewol, Keegan, Leah Da Gloria, Vincent Li and Lunar Sand.

Each designer showcased their own spin on the imagery of Universal’s iconic dinosaur film series, from netted gowns that resemble scales to tribal motifs. The iconic T-Rex skeleton logo of Jurassic Park/World was a common theme, as well. The title of A.BCH’s collection was “We Can Save Them,” most likely a reference to the efforts by Jurassic World‘s Dinosaur Protection Group to save the dinosaurs from an extinction event.

Wednesday night’s fashion show was meant to provide “Australian fashionists a deeper connection to the blockbuster franchise,” according to opening statements by Jo Pascoe, Universal Brand Development’s country director for Australia and New Zealand.

Each collection will be available for preorder on each designers’ website or through selected boutiques across Australia in 2018.

Universal has pulled out the stops for Jurassic Park‘s anniversary this year, engaging fans with contests, digital content and physical attractions as they gear up for the theatrical release of Fallen Kingdom.

In January, fans were invited to recreate their favorite scenes from Jurassic Park for a chance to win $1,000, themed products and a DVD set. Fan recreations that vary from serious to silly are currently being shared across the official Jurassic Park website and social channels.

On May 11 and 12, Universal Studios Hollywood will host an anniversary celebration that includes a private screening of the original film, costume show, giveaways and of course, trips on the Jurassic Park ride.

Online And Mobile Games See Varying Effects In GDPR

BY

As the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation deadline looms, online and mobile gaming companies are adjusting their marketing efforts to comply with the personal data collection and retention requirements. Connected online games such as massively multiplayer online (MMO), mobile games and location-based titles, where users play alongside hundreds of others from around the world, once collected a great deal of data from users. But now many publishers have to address their long-standing communities without necessarily having the convenience of demographics data.

Compliance is mainly a matter getting explicit permission from players (or their parents, in the case of minors) to use their personal data for marketing purposes, and possibly removing all that information at the user’s request. However, “data” is a term that can be a little fluid when games are concerned, depending on how integrated it is with the gameplay.

In some cases, game companies may rather be safe than sorry by collecting as little information as possible from its players, since failure to comply with GDPR’s guidelines could lead to hefty fines from the European Data Protection Board. If a publisher originally collected data that is not compliant with GDPR’s requirements, then they’ll have to figure out ways to recollect the information in a compliant way or limit their use after the May 25 deadline. Personal data used to market to EU residents that may have been collected without expressed consent should be avoided.

“It’s swung back and forth like a pendulum over time,” said Scott Hartsman, CEO for Trion Worlds, recounting how the first generation online games collected explicitly personal information from users before letting them play. “If you look across most [modern] online games, it’s about quickly getting people into the game with as little friction as possible, which means collecting as little info as possible in the premium game space,” he explained.

Given that bumpy history, game companies have been preparing for GDPR differently. Hartsman explained that for Trion Worlds, being a PCI (Payment Card Industry) certified billing provider helped the company prepare for the upcoming regulations. For example, he said that the company makes a conscious effort to collect as little identifying information as possible, and it can quickly implement a system where the company will “forget” that a customer exists.

According to Hartsman, difficulty with compliance depends on whether data is treated as game content. For example, a social game that treats interactions such as “likes” on Facebook as content—which can be construed as personal data that drives targeted marketing—may have more difficulty forgetting its users.

On the other hand, mobile games—particularly those that rely on location data such as Pokémon GO—could be more sensitive to GDPR legislation. That may become problematic for companies and businesses that are partnering to benefit from the foot traffic they generate.

“Games that rely on location data or social features that necessitate the collection of personal data certainly will be subject to GDPR requirements,” said Debevoise & Plimpton lawyer Will Bucher, who works with video game legal matters. “Additionally, the use of location data and the associated monitoring of individuals’ activities is considered a high-risk activity by EU data protection authorities, so companies using this type of data can expect closer scrutiny from the government.”

But Bucher adds that these games won’t necessarily have to stop collecting data, they just have to do so within the scope of GDPR.

“In some ways, mobile games might even have an advantage, at least when it comes to the GDPR’s consent requirements,” he said. “Many consumers are already used to giving permission to apps on their smartphones, so they may be more comfortable providing the needed GDPR consent than a user who throws a disc in their gaming console.”

“So long as the information collected is not associated with any personal data of the user, a wide range of metrics can be collected, such as statistics about in-game performance, match times, etc.,” said Bucher. “But when those metrics are linked to any information that facially identifies the user, or could identify the user in the real world—such as an IP address, personal e-mail, credit card number or a cross-platform cookie—then the GDPR’s requirements might be triggered. Among those requirements is that there must be a valid legal basis to store and use users’ data, such as the users’ consent.”

Above all, Bucher emphasizes that it’s important for game publishers to keep in mind that the driving force behind the legislation is to give individuals back control of their data.

“Principally, that is accomplished through increased transparency,” said Bucher. “An increased focus on communicating with users about what data is collected and how it’s used goes a long way to meeting many of the GDPR’s requirements, although it is not a replacement for data protection impact assessments to ensure companies are complying with their legal obligations.”

Companies that choose to collect as little data as possible will have to become more hands-on with their community-based marketing and engagement efforts, since they won’t necessarily have any demographics information to work from when crafting their messages.

“This is going to sound super old school, but I still believe that there’s no better way to know what will resonate with your players than being one of your players,” said Hartsman.

Hartsman plays Trion’s games alongside the rest of the community, where he can listen to them and see their pain points. In fact, a requirement for working at Trion is to be a fan of at least one of its games because “people who are involved with the games and remain involved with the communities tend to service those communities best.”

NASCAR Names Jill Gregory SVP And CMO, And Other Hires

BY

NASCAR announced several executive changes this week, beginning with Jill Gregory‘s promotion to senior vice president and chief marketing officer. In her new role, Gregory will oversee all of NASCAR’s marketing operations and head up the Charlotte, North Carolina, office.

Brian Herbst has been promoted to vice president of global media strategy and distribution. Herbst will continue to develop new media distribution opportunities and digital content partnerships for NASCAR as the media landscape evolves.

Pete Jung has been promoted to vice president of brand marketing. Jung is responsible for all brand and consumer marketing efforts, including the implementation of key industry marketing initiatives.

Warner Bros. Pictures has appointed Michelle Slavich executive vice president of global publicity and strategy. Slavich will oversee domestic and international publicity, which includes heading a team to develop global publicity strategies on all Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema releases. She will also work alongside the marketing group’s senior management team on PR campaign design and strategy for indie and AAA franchises.

Most recently, Slavich served as head of entertainment communications for YouTube, where she oversaw the platform’s entertainment and music PR initiatives, as well as corporate and creator communications.

South Korean mobile game giant Netmarble Corporation is moving their US headquarters to Downtown Los Angeles, in the newly built Wilshire Grand building. Netmarble US will occupy the 11th floor at 600 Wilshire and joins companies like Spotify, Adidas and Warner Music that have recently located to the area.

The Economist Group has combined its sales and circulation divisions, which aims to solve “joint marketing challenges.”

Michal Brunt, currently managing director and chief marketing officer of circulation, will lead the new publisher team in his new position as chief operating officer.

Mark Cripps, currently executive vice president, brand and digital marketing, has been promoted to executive vice president, chief marketing officer.

The Rest Of The C-Suite

(Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 13. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com)

RealSelf, a community and resource for cosmetic surgery, has appointed Tanja Omeze as its first chief marketing officer. In her new position, Omeze leads global marketing to increase awareness, engagement and connections among and between consumers and medical aesthetic professionals.

Omeze brings 20 years of experience and most recently, served as head of marketing for the Amazon Video store. She also held various marketing leadership positions at  Weight Watchers, Scholastic and Verizon Wireless.

Mary Ward has been named chief marketing officer for content cloud provider ScribbleLive. Ward joined ScribbleLead in September 2017 with the acquisition of ion interactive. In her new role, Ward will lead ScribbleLive’s global marketing organization and continue to build the company’s brand as it integrates its product portfolio and expands into new regions.

Avaya has appointed Becky Carr as head of global marketing. In this role, she will be responsible for leading a worldwide marketing strategy to engage and attract customers. In addition, Carr is expected to ensure broad worldwide awareness of Avaya’s unified communications and contact center solutions and services.

Carr joins Avaya brings several years of technology and service marketing experience. Most recently, she served as chief marketing officer at CoStar Group.

Polaris Industries Inc. announced that it has hired Julie Gilbert as chief customer engagement and growth officer, a newly created position at the company. Gilbert will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing solutions and growth strategies that introduce new consumers to the powersports industry, including segments outside of the company’s traditional core target market.

In addition, Gilbert will provide oversight for Polaris’ corporate marketing, sponsorships and communication efforts, and will help cultivate and launch programs aimed at further engaging RZR owners through the development of rider groups.

Karyn Abrahamson has been promoted to chief marketing officer of Essentia. Abraham joined the company in 2015 as vice president of marketing and brand innovation. In this role, Abrahamson will continue to oversee all of the brand’s marketing efforts that include marketing, finance, business strategy, operations and sales.

Casey’s General Stores has appointed Chris Jones to the role of chief marketing officer. Jones brings 27 years of marketing experience to the hardware store chain, having served in leadership or executive roles at Mars, Inc., Athene, USA and Kum & Go.

In his CMO role, Mr. Jones will oversee the Marketing, Advertising, Food Service and Digital activities at Casey’s, among other responsibilities.

Process mining technology firm Celonis has named Anthony Deighton its new chief marketing officer. Deighton will lead the global marketing and communication strategy and will head the team responsible for driving the rapid market adoption of Celonis’ process mining software.

Deighton previously served as chief technology officer and SVP of Products at Qlik, as well as general manager of Siebel ERM.

Learfield has created a new position of vice president and market director to serve its collegiate relationships across the country.

Britt Oligschlaeger, Landon Day and Tony Soares were promoted to this new role within the regional structure, having served with Learfield for 12, 11 and seven years respectively. Mike Haake, new to Learfield, will hold the same position and brings 30 years of media and sales experience to the collegiate marketer.

Larry Gelfand has been appointed senior vice president of brand partnerships, East at mitú. Gelfand will lead mitú’s eastern territory client portfolio and partner with associated agencies to lead the proposal, negotiation and execution of branded partnerships across the telecommunications, sports, QSR and auto industry categories. Gelfand will directly manage a team of dedicated sales directors.

Johan Buse has been appointed CMO for iflix and will head the company’s centralized operations. Buse joins the SVOD service after serving as chief commercial officer for Ooredoo.

The hire comes just as iflix is centralizing all its marketing operations to Kuala Lumpur. Last month, iflix also launched Studio2:15, a creative production business for short-form video content. The new studio aims to create engaging and experimental snackable and short-form content for the iflix platform.

TriNet has named Michael Mendenhall senior VP, chief marketing officer and chief communications officer. In his new position, Mendenhall will lead all the company’s marketing and communications efforts including messaging, branding, advertising, product marketing and corporate communications.

Mendenhall joins the company after less than a year with IBM as CMO, CCO for IBM Watson and IBM Cloud.

African epayments company Interswitch has appointed Cherry Eromosele as its group chief product and marketing officer. In her new role, Eremosele will provide “leadership and strategic direction for the end-to-end product innovation, product development, customer value management and product marketing functions, while continuing to champion the Group’s brand management, corporate communications and corporate social responsibility functions” across the entire Interswitch portfolio.

Ian Partilla has joined GumGum Sports as vice president of sales to lead global sports revenue efforts. Ian brings 20 years of experience in sports marketing, having worked with companies like NBC and ESPN.

“GumGum Sports has created something unique, thoughtful, thorough, and complete,” said Partilla. “I know teams, leagues and brands will be excited. Joining the team was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Albert Cheng has been named Amazon Studio’s new co-head of television as part of a series development team shake-up. Cheng previously led the company as interim chief after the departure of former executive Roy Price. A former ABC digital exec, Cheng had previously served as COO of Amazon’s entertainment division, a role he will continue in going forward.

Sharon Tal Yguado, who had been named head of scripted development, will serve in the new structure as head of genre series.

Turner’s Bleacher Report has named Ed Romaine senior vice president and chief brand officer. This newly created role coincides with Turner’s unveiling of Bleacher Report Live, a new streaming sports service that features live programming from NBA, UEFA, NCAA and others, available on a per-event and subscription basis.

As reported by Variety, Romaine will oversee Bleacher Report‘s entire marketing organization, heading up sales marketing to support revenue-based efforts and brand marketing.

“Having Ed on board means we’ll have an experienced leader in place to further articulate and spread the incredible power of B/R’s platforms for our advertising and brand partners,” said Dave Finocchio, CEO and co-founder of Bleacher Report.

Gerald Purgay has joined Oasis Outsourcing as chief marketing officer. Purgay will be focused on driving growth via innovative and customer-centric marketing strategies. He recently served as CMO of Talent at Mercer.

“As Oasis continues to grow, it is critically important that we keep building our management team with experienced, talented professionals who will help drive our culture of values, collaboration and excellence,” said Kelley Castell, chief operating officer. “I’m confident that Gerald’s vast experience and track record of success will be invaluable to Oasis as we continue our focus on providing best-in-class HR solutions and experiences to our clients and worksite employees.”

Job Vacancies 

Events Producer AList Pasadena, CA
Director of Marketing Operations and Creative Services Banana Republic San Francisco, CA
Associate Director of Brand Marketing Condé Nast New York, NY
Manager of Automotive Marketing Sirius New York, NY
Senior Content Strategy Manager Clio Burnaby, Canada
Director of Marketing Paramount Pictures Los Angeles, CA

Make sure to check back for updates on our jobs page.

Madame Tussauds Continues Experiential Push With ‘Justice League’ Event

BY

Madame Tussauds is hosting a global scavenger hunt that culminates in an interactive exhibit based on Warner Bros.’ 2017 Justice League film.

The interactive wax museum exhibit “Justice League: A Call For Heroes” opens May 25 at Madame Tussauds Orlando and takes visitors through a series of challenges.

The installation will be made to look like comic book and film locations of Gotham City and Metropolis, where villain Lex Luthor is—once again—trying to take over the world. A series of three scenarios have visitors using “superhero abilities” and props to stop the bad guys with the “help” of Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman.

First, visitors will “harness their inner superpower” to unleash a powerful blast from Wonder Woman’s gauntlets. Next, they’ll help Superman lift a real helicopter before finally using the Bat Signal to summon Batman. Each of the wax figures is made to look like their respective film actors—Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck.

Madame Tussauds is promoting the event with a scavenger hunt across five global cities. Beginning on Friday, fans will be challenged to find hidden “Mother Boxes” around London, New York, Canada, Atlanta and Orlando, each one revealed a few days apart through May 12.

In Justice League—and the DC comic book universe—Mother Boxes are otherworldly containers that wield ultimate power, especially when combined. Finding all five boxes ties into the story behind an upcoming exhibit.

Clues as to the whereabouts of said Mother Boxes will be provided through Madame Tussauds’ official Instagram page and with the hashtag #FindTheMotherBoxes.

Those who find the Mother Boxes first will be awarded a VIP trip to Madame Tussauds Orlando to take part in Justice League: A Call For Heroes, as well as passes to MegaCon Orlando and Sea Life Orlando Aquarium.

This latest exhibit, which will also open in Sydney later in the year, is part of Madame Tussauds’ ongoing strategy to attract visitors through experiences. In 2016, the New York location partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment for an interactive Ghost Busters exhibit.

With Interactive Theater Experience, Bacardi Stakes Claim To Authenticity

BY

The ongoing brand battle between spirits conglomerates Bacardi and Pernod Ricard continues to escalate. The sticking point between the two companies is the Havana Club brand name. Both companies produce rum under the name—French-based Pernod Ricard does so globally and in Cuba, while Bacardi maintains the Havana Club name in the United States.

Amparo, an interactive theater experience from Bacardi, is just the latest piece in a situation that further heightened when Bacardi launched its “Forever Cuban” integrated campaign. The experience recounts the Arechabala family’s exile from Cuba following the country’s revolution in the 1950s—during which the government seized the family’s assets, including the Havana Club distillery. By telling the Havana Club story, Bacardi aims to establish an emotional connection between audiences and the brand’s history.

The double-name fight is unique in that it was created as a result of the US opening its Cuban embargo, and then in 2016 approving Pernod’s trademark for the Havana Club brand in the US for 10 years, sparking a legal battle between the two companies. But what began as a trademark dispute has grown into an issue that has, at times, become highly emotional for the two companies, with both claiming to have the truly authentic Cuban brand of rum.

Ramon Arechabala sold the rum recipe and production techniques to Bacardi in 1994, and the embargo against Cuban imports allowed it to sell its brand of Havana Club in the US.

Meanwhile, Pernod Ricard has been distributing its version in countries around the world since 1993 in partnership with CubaExport’s Cuba Ron, an agency owned by the Cuban government. Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club has since become an iconic brand in Cuba itself, with its logo adorning parts of its namesake city, as many see rum as part of the nation’s culture.

“[Amparo can help] educate the public about the wrongdoings of the Cuban government and their business partners, Pernod Ricard, against the Arechabala family, the original owners of Havana Club rum,” Bacardi Rum’s marketing director Roberto Ramirez explained to AListDaily. “In telling the story of the Arechabala family, we hope to end the confusion as to which Havana Club is the real, authentic version and reinforce that it does not matter where Havana Club rum is produced.”

Bacardi’s Havana Club is produced in Puerto Rico, but Ramirez asserts that “Forever Cuban” is taking a stand against its competitors by upholding the authenticity of the rum’s heritage. The campaign launched in advance of the 59th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, featuring a 60-second commercial starring Cuban-American actor Raul Esparza, who recites the poem “Island Body.” The poem is written by Cuban poet Richard Blanco, and the commercial is written, produced and directed by Cuban exiles in Miami.

Additionally, Bacardi claims that Pernod and the Cuban government have been profiting from a stolen trademark, generating millions of dollars by selling an “imposter rum poured into a bottle and marketed under a stolen name.”

Pernod Ricard responded to Bacardi’s accusations by doubling down on its own message of Cuban heritage. A Pernod Ricard representative told AListDaily that its two production facilities, one located in Santa Cruz and the other in San José, were built during the post-revolution. Therefore, it is not profiting from stolen property. Pernod claims that a truly Cuban brand is one that is created in Cuba, since rum is “tightly entwined in the history, culture, celebrations and daily life of the Cuban people.”

It is a sentiment that is echoed in an emotional statement by Maestro del Ron Cubano (Rum Master) Asbel Morales, who argues that the Cuban soul is linked to the country, its lands, culture and environment. Pernod claims that the “Forever Cuban” campaign is misleading the consumer public, asserting that for a rum brand to be authentically Cuban, it must be created from cane to glass in Cuba.

“Pernod Ricard and the Cuban dictatorship have perpetuated a lie since they began their collusion in 1993, and continue to do so today,” said Ramirez. “Since Pernod will not share the true story of Havana Club Rum with their consumers and with the world, we will.

“Unlike Pernod Ricard, the Bacardi and Arechabala families are not misleading consumers. Our Havana Club Rum is now proudly made in Puerto Rico. It is based on the original recipe and techniques that were used by the Arechabalas to make Havana Club in Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution.”

Pernod, which says that the legal battle should be left to the courts, not the media, is ready to bring its Havana Club to the US even though its consumers currently see it as a Bacardi brand.

“We intend to use the Havana Club brand in the US as we have been doing everywhere else in the world for decades, across 120 markets,” said Pernod Ricard.

“We’re confident in our position, and look forward to proving our case at trial,” said Ramirez. “We expect our court system to once again follow well-respected US and international principles that do not legitimize illegal confiscations.”

Ramirez added that, as the case is in litigation, Bacardi will continue to “focus on raising brand awareness by leveraging the Arechabala family story and origins, as well as continuing to educate the public on the truth behind the real Havana Club rum.”

Bacardi will expand Amparo into a more permanent theatrical experience for consumer audiences in Miami, then New York, with other cities to follow based on demand.

Jaguar Land Rover To Display ‘007’ Cars Atop 10,000-Foot Mountain

BY

Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Alpine ski resort Sölden to showcase its cars from the James Bond films.

Normally when a brand showcases its products, the installation is purposely easy to find—but Jaguar Land Rover is putting its interactive exhibit atop the 10,000 foot (3,050m) Gaislachkogl peak in Austria.

The hard-to-reach location is no coincidence. The installation is part of 007 Elements, a new, permanent James Bond installation located next to the Ice Q restaurant in Sölden. The restaurant and surrounding areas were used as a filming location in Spectre.

The 007 Elements installation was announced in December and will open in July of this year. With the announcement of Jaguar’s three-year partnership deal, however, James Bond fans finally get an idea of what they’ll find inside.

Visitors atop the mountain will be able to interact with displays and learn about Jaguar Land Rover specifications, including its artificial intelligence systems.

The Land Rover Defender and Range Rover Sport SVR used for filming Spectre will be on display, as well as a 90kWh lithium-ion battery used to power the C-X75 concept car from the film’s car chase through Rome.

Jaguar has a long-standing association with James Bond films, beginning with a Range Rover Classic featured in Octopussy in 1983. Since then, Jaguar Land Rovers have appeared in nine Bond films.

Spectre was the last Bond film which was released in 2015. Jaguar Land Rover’s three-year partnership with 007 Elements is a good sign that Jaguar will return in the next film, which will star Daniel Craig as 007.

Jaguar did not immediately respond for comment.

According to the official website, the idea behind 007 Elements is to “tell the story of the making of 007 films through an ultra-modern, emotive and engaging experience while using the incredible location to place guests in Bond’s environment and bring the stories to life in a unique and unforgettable way.”

Agencies Band Together To Form Advertiser Protection Bureau

BY

A newly formed Advertiser Protection Bureau (APB) was unveiled by 4A’s, calling on media agencies to put competition aside in the name of brand safety.

The APB initiative is designed to be a “united community” of media agencies, each playing watchdog online and notifying one another if their respective clients’ ads appear in an unsafe environment. Agencies who join the APB initiative will share the collective responsibility of reporting brand safety concerns. The initiative would also notify brands of safety incidents that could affect them, too, such as fraud.

The initiative was unveiled during the 4A’s Accelerate conference on Wednesday.

“When it comes to brand and consumer safety, media agencies have to put competition aside,” said Louis Jones, EVP, media & data at the 4A’s in a statement. “Brand safety and the negative impact it has on consumer trust is an issue that affects everyone.”

With the formation of APB, 4A’s outlined a series of next steps, with the goal of reaching a safe environment for both brands and consumers, referred to as “advertising assurance.”

These next steps include developing a risk management module that measures risk fom “safe” to “least safe.” Advertisers will be able to choose a safe level of risk based on preference—for example, if a brand wants to maintain a wholesome persona online vs. ads that are purposely controversial.

APB will also create a code of decency, working with the Media Rating Council. Ground rules will be established with the help of agencies inside the APB.

An industry playbook will be developed by APB that will include new standards, metrics, methodologies and tools to combat unsafe environments. The playbook will be designed to educate the advertising ecosystem about safety for both brands and consumers.

Marla Kaplowitz, 4A’s president and CEO, said that advertising assurance requires a holistic approach of responsibility to consumers, brands and each other.

“Advertising assurance can’t happen if we’re not communicating with each other and working together,” she said.