Upbeat Malibu ad takes brand ‘beyond the confines of sun loungers and coconut cups’
The Drum’s Ad of the Day highlights work that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Today’s winner is ‘Welcome To Malibu’ by Wieden+Kennedy London for Malibu.
Malibu ad by Wieden+Kennedy London / Wieden+Kennedy London
Rum-based drink Malibu, alongside creative agency partner Wieden+Kennedy London, has just dropped a sun-soaked campaign encouraging everyone to get into the summer mindset and live life to the fullest.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Dave Meyers, ‘Welcome to Malibu’ features a young woman riding into the beachside town on a motorcycle that magically transforms into a horse. Along the way, she encounters a range of different upbeat characters in the colorful town as a rendition of Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe plays in the background.
“The exciting thing about this campaign is that it reframes the traditional summer Malibu occasion from a time and place to a mindset you can find any time,” said Johan Radojewski, vice-president of marketing, Malibu.
“By inviting our consumers to ‘Do Whatever Tastes Good,’ we are capturing the spirit of summer and making it relevant all year round – giving our audience permission to enjoy whatever it is that they like, whenever they like.”
It’s a complete brand refresh for the beverage company and is the result of a positive growth trajectory in 2021.
“We knew that Malibu needed a creative and strategic step change, and I knew that there was no better agency than W+K for this reset,” added Tad Greenough, chief creative officer at The Absolut Company.
“We are delighted with the campaign and the renewed energy and excitement it will give our brand.“
Produced by RadicalMedia, the short film will be supported by an integrated campaign across online, digital, out-of-home (OOH) and in-store activations.
“Like a perfect pop track or your cushiest velour sweatpants, Malibu is unashamedly mainstream and deliciously uncomplicated,” noted Katy Edelsten and Rachel Clancy, creatives at Wieden+Kennedy.
“Our brief was to move Malibu beyond the confines of sun loungers and coconut cups, so we created an entire magical, musical world (which still has a prominent role for coconuts, don’t you worry).”
The brand refresh will also be amplified across social channels, with an extensive range of assets including AV, GIFs, stickers and behind-the-scenes content.
