Bacardi remixes ‘Conga’ with Meek Mill, Leslie Grace in UGC push

Dive Brief:

• Bacardi has enlisted Meek Mill, Leslie Grace and producer Boi-1da to remix “Conga” by Miami Sound Machine as part of its “Conga Feat. You” campaign, according to a press release. The alcoholic beverage brand wants consumers to submit their voice recordings or videos showing off dance moves to feature them in the official “Conga” remix music video.
• The company is releasing the video the week before the Grammy Awards in January 2021. Between Nov. 20 and Dec. 13, the rum brand is collecting fan submissions via an online portal. It has also asked model Jasmine Sanders, street-dance performer Lil Buck and singer, dancer and TV judge Alesha Dixon to encourage people to participate in the campaign.
• In addition to remixing the “Conga,” Boi-1da will also choose which submissions will appear in the music video, while the other submissions will be featured in an interactive version of the video online. Bacardi’s latest music-related campaign relies on user-generated content (UGC) at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered most traditional ad shoots.

Dive Insight:

Bacardi’s “Conga Feat. You” campaign taps several trends, including UGC and musical branding, in attempt to engage with younger adults. Given the current state of the world, the rum brand wanted to use the iconic song to virtually bring people together to share their authentic selves, Ned Duggan, global senior vice president of Bacardi, said in a statement.

The brand’s use of UGC is a sign of how marketers are adjusting to the safety constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the summer, Domino’s Pizza organized a virtual film festival featuring users’ homemade videos for a chance to win a year’s worth of free pizza. Other brands, including Chrysler, Pepsi, Zulily and American Eagle, have opted to organize remote shoots as a workaround.

Musical branding that sees brands working with mainstream musicians to create original songs has become a popular tactic to reach younger consumers, but authenticity is key. The “Conga Feat. You” campaign follows Bacardi’s previous music-related initiatives. In September 2019, the brand released a “Sound of Rum” video, an ASMR video created by artist and producer Swizz Beatz. The following month, the company upcycled single-use plastic straws from 55 American bars to create limited-edition vinyl records featuring “Make It Hot” by Major Lazer and Brazilian singer Anitta.