Touting the Icon Helps Keep Captain Morgan Relevant

Diageo had a dilemma. It needed to find a way to keep its Captain Morgan brand of rum relevant in the ever-changing world of spirits. So it decided to bring the brand—and its icon—to life.

During the past four years, Captain Morgan himself (okay, an actor dressed as the icon) has attended New Orleans’s Mardi Gras. The idea was to build brand loyalty by having the Captain himself put a drink in the hands of consumers 21 and older. The captain also has also attended the San Diego Street Scene, a music festival attended annually by about 120,000 people, and was scheduled to appear at Fantasy Fest in Key West, FL, a week-long celebration of Hollywood, Broadway, and TV that had to be cancelled this October due to Hurricane Wilma. Had the event, which was to include a Captain Morgan-sponsored parade, taken place, the brand would have touched an estimated 70,000 people, says Dan Kleinman, senior brand manager of Captain Morgan.

“We generated loyalty through a consistent formula, which is sticking with what is true and real about the captain instead of keeping up with the recent trends,” Kleinman says. “You have that ability when you have an icon you can bring to life.”

Captain Morgan was attracted to Mardi Gras (and will stick with the event as New Orleans begins to rebuild) because it is heavily attended by an important age demographic – the 21- to 29-year-olds. As newer spirits hit the market, Kleinman says, Captain Morgan maintains its relevance with consumers entering the drinking age because they can associate with the icon.

“As marketers, we want to have the brand associated with long-term affinity,” he explains. “That’s why we bring Captain Morgan to places with mass audiences. Spirits like Jagermeister and Bacardi are making a name for themselves in the music space, but we feel we can interact with the consumers better in a festival environment.”

Jaegermeister has attached its brand to alternative music tours and accompanying compilation CDs, while the Bacardi brand has connected with a series of competitions for club DJs.

After each personal appearance by the captain, sales of Captain Morgan spike, says Diageo spokesperson Greg Leonard. The company also looks at overall state and national growth levels to determine if the event marketing tactics are working. Captain Morgan was the third-top-selling spirit and second-best-selling rum (behind Bacardi) in 2005, according to trade magazine “Beverage Dynamics.”

And as befits a buccaneer, Captain Morgan doesn’t always stick with the traditional forms of marketing. During the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York, for instance, the captain ran for president under the “Americans for a Better Party” banner and offered free shuttle service to the Hamptons to anyone 21 and over who wanted to escape the political chaos of the city. The three-day campaign resulted in a 13.7% volume growth for the brand, which sells 4.5 million cases annually.

“When you’re doing things like pirating the election and not talking about politics, you make yourself relevant,” Kleinman says. “You need to make sure your campaign is relevant to the event if you’re going to build the brand affinity.”