Havana Club is looking to capture the vibrancy of Cuban life with a new campaign aimed at strengthening its connection to younger buyers.
Set in its namesake city, the distiller’s latest campaign showcases a game of dominos, rumba spins and colourful clothes, all part of the brand’s attempt at capturing “La Cubanía” (Cuban mode) authentically.
According to Ludmilla Stephkov, global brand director Havana Club, “Cuban Mode” is an evolution of the brand’s previous campaign “Cuba Made Me”, launched back in 2018, positioned around showing the world how Havana Club is synonymous with Cuba. “What we truly hope to share through this campaign is the love and understanding of what makes this community beautiful and unique,” Stephkov says.
Cuba and Cuban culture have always been a part of Havana Club’s brand, and she says it also has a long history of working with Cuban creatives and artists, whether it is promoting their work or inviting them give their vision of the island.
The new brand campaign is running in Canada, Spain, Germany and the U.K. on Havana Club’s social and digital channels, with localized activations through media partnerships. The campaign will be amplified through influencers, PR and social media activity alongside OOH investment and experiential activity across the on and off-trade.
Stephkov tells strategy that Canada is one of Havana Club’s priorities, and it has been identified as a growth-relay market for the brand. In addition to contributing significantly to the distribution of Havana Club’s core range, Canada is also more active on the brand’s innovations, such as the super premium dark rum innovation Havana Club Cuban Smoky, launched last year.
The latest work is a collaboration between Sid Lee and Paris-based Yard. Yard has been working for Havana Club for four years now on different projects, and enlisted the support of Sid Lee for this specific campaign after winning an RFP.
After an early launch in Canada, “Cuban Mode” local roll-outs are planned across the globe in the coming months.
In Canada, the brand has collaborated with Roy Woods and Montreal fashion brand Atelier New Regime as part of its outreach to younger consumers. This strategy has allowed Havana Club to keep building bridges with the new generation of young adults while staying true to its values and always putting front and center the brand’s Cuban origin.
The core target are legal-drinking age consumers living in urban, multicultural and diverse environments.
Stephkov says the rum category is growing globally and generating interest from other spirits drinkers. “On the sipping side, rum in general and Havana Club more precisely compete with whisky or cognac.”
