Uruguay tries a Bacardi mix party

Just like their counterparts around the world, young Uruguayan adults love to mix with friends, have fun and share their experiences. The previous year, Bacardi had run a TV campaign based on the idea of mixing - mixing people, mixing drinks. It wanted to extend the theme of mixing but without the expense of a TV commercial.

Harnessing the power of social media

The solution was to stage two exclusive Mix-Parties and harness the power of social media to generate excitement and enthusiasm around the events.

Facebook was used to build a guest list for the parties. Over half of all young adults in Uruguay have a profile on the social networking site, which is the country's second most popular online destination. Consumers were asked to sign up as fans and send in pictures of themselves and four friends to enter a raffle for a party invitation.

Seeded through radio, TV

The event activation was seeded initially through radio and TV program integration, driving would-be partygoers to the site, where they could chat, have fun, win prizes and make new friends as if they were at a virtual Bacardi party. The lucky winners were invited to the exclusive Mix-Parties, hosted by Bacardi.

The events subsequently generated valuable online buzz and positive word of mouth for the Bacardi brand. Year-on-year sales increased 148% in November and 37% in December and the Facebook group accrued 1500 fans in one month.