Art in Progress
Bacardi/ Bombay Sapphire
Issue 49 | December 2018
Agency
BBDO New York
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Worldwide David Lubars Chief Creative Officer New York Greg Hahn Executive Creative Directors Danilo Boer, Marcos Kotlhar Associate Creative Directors Roberto Danino, Joaquin Salim, Mariana Oliveira
Production Team
Head of Integrated Production David Rolfe Executive Integrated Producer Mo Twine Producer Ali Goldsmith Junior Interactive Producer Philip Peker Production Companies BBDO Studios, Ghost Experiential
Other Credits
Group Planning Director Jessica Strode Senior Project Manager Noreen Masih Account Team Steven Panariello, Josh Goodman, Sophia Lauricella
Date
September 2018
Background
Bombay Sapphire’s brand positioning has been to entice the imagination and stir creativity. For over a decade the brand has been bringing art and spirits together to show that when it comes to creativity, there are no limits or set mediums. In 2018 the brand wanted to fully communicate its platform, Stir Creativity.
Idea
New York City is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But lately, the city that never sleeps has also been the city that never stops building. In 2018, Manhattan was home to 7,437 construction sites. Every one of them was surrounded by unsightly green panels and clunky metal scaffold. The green walls were completely taking over the city.
However, every problem is an opportunity and Bombay Sapphire asked established and up-and-coming artists to reimagine the construction panels and to turn them into original works of art. Once the panels were complete, they were placed on building sites all over the city, transforming eyesores into open-air galleries that inspired New Yorkers to Stir Creativity.
Results
Not merely did thousands of New Yorkers stop to look but by tapping into a roster of artists and influencers who amplified the activation in social media, a much broader audience was reached.
Overall, the campaign achieved over 9.6 million impressions and 1.6 million engagements. The content resulted in a 10-second view through rate that was 32% above the brand's benchmark, showing that the Art in Progress story resonated with viewers.
Our Thoughts
Making the world a better place doesn’t always have to be about eradicating poverty or tackling disease. Arguably, if you’re a booze brand then anything you do or say in this area is likely to be viewed with more than a touch of cynicism. But, if you’re to mean anything to the people you want to engage with then you have to stand for something positive and life-enhancing. Like turning thoughtlessly blank space into a canvas for creativity, transforming the unsightly into the beautiful.
I’ve long admired Bombay Sapphire for this strategy and BBDO NY for spinning so many interesting ideas out of it that genuinely democratise art, liberating it from the esoteric and privileged galleries in which, all too often, it has been held captive.