Pernod Ricard serves up digital overhaul for Malibu brand
Pernod Ricard is to introduce real-time media buying for its Malibu brand, one of several digital marketing initiatives being readied to enhance the drink’s profile among younger consumers.
The coconut-flavoured rum has become the latest FMCG brand to invest in the approach adding it reflects “where we are as a social brand”. Malibu is the third biggest spirit brand on Facebook in the UK with more than 340,000 followers and is number one in terms of engagement, according to Social Bakers.
It is looking to apply some of the learnings on how it distributes Facebook content to upcoming digital out-of-home promotions. Ads at tube stations and bus stops could be tailored to reflect current news events and the weather with Pernod Ricard claiming the move could slash its media planning budgets while raising the ROI of campaigns.
Adam Boita, marketing controller at Pernod Ricard UK, told Marketing Week it wants to accelerate real-time brand management for Malibu in a bid to keep it top of mind with drinkers. Cadbury tested a similar approach last month when it fed tweets from fans about the Brit Awards to adverts on the underground.
Boita adds: “A lot of thinking goes into creating content but more could be done when it comes to distributing those ideas. For Malibu, we’re looking at how we can turn digital out-of-home on when great opportunities come up rather than having to plan months in advance. It could be a real advantage for us and puts us into that real-time brand management space.”
The revamp to Malibu’s media plan also extends to its mobile activity with the brand ploughing more budget into serving targeted video content, location-based promotions and vouchers. Around 50 per cent of its digital media outlay is now spent on mobile, compared to 30 per cent in previous years, according to Boita.
“All too often companies will build apps and then have to drive money towards sustaining it. We’re making our communications fit for purpose around mobile sites and other [mobile-based] services so that our content is easy to view and share”, he adds.
Elsewhere, Malibu is set to boost investment in Instagram in an attempt to follow the growing number of fans using the social network to share content. It is hoping to use the Facebook-owned platform to help it top more than 400,000 followers on the social network by the end of the year.
The investments stem from a wider charge across the Pernod Ricard group to spend more on cost-effective digital campaigns capable of yielding greater returns than traditional channels.
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