Bacardi Lets YouTube Users Remix Its New Song With a Few Keystrokes

Bacardi’s latest music-based experience, the Beat Machine, is climbing the charts. 

The rum brand lets users manipulate segments of “Make It Hot,” a branded dance track from Major Lazer and Anitta, via YouTube’s “fast-forward” keyboard functionality. 

Tap your keypad numbers to visit various points in the song and create different effects mixing-board style: 

It’s a pretty straightforward time-waster, right? So go ahead, play with the sounds and pictures. Why bother getting any work done? Here’s a primer to help you keep the beat:

In recent years, Bacardi has become renowned for its music/technology “hacks.” That hit parade includes “Instant Jams,” which transformed Instagram into a drum machine, and “Instant DJ,” which let users work their phones like turntables. “Live Moves” ranked among its more involved efforts, giving fans a chance to direct a music video in real time. 

CREDITS

Bacardí Pass the Beat
John Burke: Chief Marketing Officer
Ned Duggan: Vice President, Brand Managing Director
Laila Mignoni: Creative Director
Roberto Laverde: Global Rums Director

BBDO
David Lubars: Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide
Greg Hahn: Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York
Marcos Kotlhar: Executive Creative Director
Danilo Boer: Executive Creative Director
Gabrielle Attia: Associate Creative Director
Bruno Borges: Associate Creative Director
Noreen Masih: Senior Project Manager 

David Rolfe: Head of Integrated Production

Sofia Handler: Executive Producer
Molly Ross: Producer
Jessica Nugent: VP, Production Services Director
Kathy Bannon: Sr. Business Affairs Manager
Julia Millison: Music Producer

Steven Panariello: Executive Vice President, Senior Account Director
Josh Goodman: Vice President, Account Director
Meghan Wood: Account Manager
Aimee Chimera: Account Executive
Clare McGough: Social Manager
Jessica Strode: Senior Vice President, Group Planning Director
Steve Panawek: Senior Vice President, Group Planning Director
Jen Leung: Communications Planning Director
Ali Goldsmith: Communications Planner

Production Company: Stink
Director – Jovan Todorovic
Managing Director – Jeff Baron
Executive Producer – Fran McGivern
Head of Production – Nick Fuller
Producer – Mark Walejko
Production Supervisor – Tavo Muñoz
Production Supervisor – Giovanna Giangregorio
Commercial Coordinator – Shawn Vincent
Director of Photography – Stuart Winecoff
1st Assistant Director – Monty Greenlee
Stylist – Coco Cassibba
Stylist – Celia Arias
Groomer – Thomas Dunkin
Choreographer – Calvit Hodge

Editorial: Final Cut 
Editor:  Joe Guest
Assistant Editor:  Lucas Moesch
Producer:  Penny Ensley
EP: Sarah Roebuck

Music House: Sound Tree
Head of Music Production: Luis Almau
MD/Producer: Jay James
Sound Post: Sonic Union
Mix Engineer- Steve Rosen 
Senior Producer – Patrick Sullivan 
Studio Director – Justine Cortale 

Post VFX: Blacksmith 
VFX Supervisor/Lead Compositor: Daniel Morris
Compositors: Margolit Steiner, Jacob Coy, Jacob Slutsky, Eric Concepcion, Yebin Ahn
CG Artists: Tuna Unalan, Vitaliy Burov
EP: Charlotte Arnold
VFX Producer: Tina Chen

Color: The Mill 
EP: Andrew Sommerville
Producer: Evan Bauer
Colorist: Mikey Rossiter
Color Coordinator: Blake Rice
Color Assist: Elias Nousiopoulos

Bacardi Pass The Beat – Social Credits 
Production Company: BBDO Studios
Director: Andrew Osborne 
DP: Tinx Chan 
Producer: Raven Jensen 

“How-To” Beat Machine video

BBDO Studios
Michael Gentile: Studio Lead
Andre Rowe: Studio Producer
Billy Siegrist: DP
Luke Butler: Studio Producer
Alex Lubars: Editor / Animator