• Brandweek, Friday, July 27, 2007 10:45 AM

A new Bacardi spot featuring consumers ruminating about their "reasons" for drinking responsibly inverts classic liquor ads that play up sex and chic. Bacardi's familiar fruit bat logo briefly appears at the end of the spot, which is dubbed "Whatever Your Reason."

While there are other, more familiar, branded spots running concurrently, "Whatever Your Reason" isn't a simple one-off. The company plans to keep the ad in rotation for the next 12 months, increasing its frequency across a variety of cable networks during the holidays, with particular attention on New Year's Eve promotions, according to Joe Metevier, brand director for Bacardi USA.

The ad also gets some digital play on the company's Web site, where viewers can add their own reasons for drinking responsibly. An update to the TV campaign could eventually include user-generated content, the current Holy Grail for authenticity-seeking marketers. Banner ads will also run on various Web sites.

Read the whole story at Brandweek »