Swizz Beatz Helps Bacardi Mix the Sound of Rum Cocktails Into Music

Marking the purest distillation yet of the brand’s famed music strategy, Bacardi has mixed the sounds of rum-cocktail creation into a dance track.

Clinking bottles, the rhythmic chopping of pineapples and limes, and a pulsing ice-filled cocktail shaker lay down a smooth groove that echoes the brand’s Caribbean heritage: 

Hip-hop artist Swizz Beatz served as executive producer on “The Sound of Rum,” working with AMV BBDO in London. It’s part of Bacardi’s larger “Do What Moves You” platform, which recently let users remix “Make It Hot,” a branded track from Major Lazer and Anitta, via YouTube’s “fast-forward” functionality.

For this new initiative, “we took inspiration from the ASMR world, focusing on the instantly recognizable and familiar sounds of the bar,” says Tucker Bliss, who directed the clip. 

Five bartenders from across the globe appear in the video: Nicole Fas (from Puerto Rico), Lawrence Gregory (U.K.), Julia Rahn (Germany), Raysa Straal (Netherlands) and Adrian Nino (France). The sounds of their mixology efforts on set were manipulated to create the track, with some conventional instrumentation sweetening the mix. 

“Bringing together this group of bartenders highlighted the pure energy and skill that goes into cocktail-making,” says Fabio Ruffet, regional brand director for Bacardi Europe. “From the moment the they met on set, the connection between them was instant. There was a palpable electricity as they hit it off and started discussing plans for local bar takeovers in each other’s cities.” 

The bartenders also created special rum recipes as part of the campaign; these cocktails will be available at venues in each tapster’s home city.

“The Sound of Rum” follows lauded campaigns such as Instant Jams, Instant DJ and Live Moves, which generated considerable praise and helped establish Bacardi as an especially savvy “music brand.” 

It drops a week after Singapore Airlines and TBWA released “Non-Stop,” an uptempo slice of electronica incorporating sounds recorded inside and outside an Airbus A350. (In the clip below, DJ Chong the Nomad captures the pop of a Charles Heidsieck champagne cork and the sound of bubbly poured into a glass. Better luck next flight, Bacardi!)