CAMRA beer fest is upon us, which prompted me to look up the history of alcopops. And what did I find on the Bacardi Breezer website? A history of said drink in the FAQ’s which bore no time or content relation to my memory of it:
1. When was Bacardi Breezer born?
Bacardi Breezer was launched in the UK in 1993, having been a success in the US. In the US market, the “Bacardi Breezer catagory” was known as the “wine cooler” market, which did not exist in the UK. Initially US advertising was imported into the UK portraying sunny beaches, hot summers days, relaxing in hammocks, desert islands, real fruit, etc. with the consumer benefit being to “cool off”.
The UK drinks market at that time was increasingly focused around pints of lager for men, and white wine for women. The bottle drinks market had yet to be established and Bacardi Breezer was bringing an entirely new drinking format to the market. Bacardi Breezer decided that in order to enter this market it would need to position itself as a “credible alternative to beer”*. Being an entirely new catagory and concept to the UK, initial UK advertising had to dramatise who drank Bacardi Breezer, why, when, where, and exactly what the drink was. These executions formed the award winning “True Stories” campaign. The campaign consisted of 4 executions: “Henry 8th”, “Dick Tracy”, “Einstein” and “Romeo & Juliet”**.
Following a successful launch into the UK market, it was essential for Bacardi Breezer to establish its own “brand essence”. As such the “Latin Spirit in Everyone” was born…
Does anyone remember those adverts? Anyway, coming soon, a history of Hooch…
*Ha ha
**None of these actually drank BB’s as the site admits it did not exist before 1993. However, of them, only Romeo & Juliet fit the target demographic, being underage.