Kalik, The Beer Of The Bahamas wanted to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Independence of the Bahamian people, with a campaign as refreshing and unique as the national beer...
However, according to IPSOS Research, Kalik was currently perceived as “traditional and introverted” compared to the competition and would need to communicate pride in a more modern and progressive way if it wanted to make a genuine impact. In a socially-conservative island nation dominated by old-school notions of what it means to be “a real Bahamian,” this would mean Kalik stepping out of its comfort zone.
That said, how would we…
- Ignite national pride through a 360 campaign that celebrates the heritage & progression of our Bahamian people?
- Celebrate turning 50 together, through the beer that brings us together as Bahamians?
- Appeal to a sense of national pride by paying tribute to our unique cultural idiosyncracies?
- Engage with a globally-savvy Millenial / GenZ target customer without alienating our loyal old-school customer base?
- Showcase the story of Kalik across the past 3 decades and into the future, showing the longevity of the brand and inspiring Bahamians to explore their cultural identities and celebrate where we've come from, who we are and where we are heading?
According to Consumer Insight around previous campaigns, the younger target consumer wanted to live their best life as global citizens, while celebrating their roots to their local community. Our Bahamian Millenial/GenZs wanted to have the freedom to explore and define what “being Bahamian” meaned to them, rather than being told who to be. Done right, our campaign would allow for a genuine sense of pride and connection with a brand that could become something of a “cultural catalyst.”
With the above rationale in mind, we needed to:
Our first step was to host an ideation session in which we would openly discuss what it means to be “Bahamian” in 2023. For this forum, we connected with a diverse group of Bahamian “influencers” across the age and class demographics and engaged in a series of free-thinking exercises. Out of the creative hubbub, a particular stream of consciousness stood out and it went a little like this…
“I am proud to be Bahamian whether I love rake n scrape or rap, whether I from the island or from town, whether I like Junkanoo or Carnival, whether my naval string buried in the backyard or lost in the landfill. I am a Bahamian. Whether I like mayo on my conch salad or sour lime. Pancakes or boil’ fish. Almond milk or carnation cream. An' I could care less who racing at regatta, long as I got a cold one in my hand. Because I been Kalikin' since the day I was born. Rushin' to the ryhthm of my own cowbell. Marchin' to the beat of my own drum as the soundtrack to my brightest & darkest days. Independent and proud to make my own rules. I am Proud To Be Me.”
#ProudToBe was born. Building up to the 50th Anniversary of Bahamian Independence, the 360 campaign would center around a “national referendum” on what it means to be Bahamian, giving the audience a stage on which to express what made them #ProudToBe. Limited edition cans would allow the audience to enter the “kalikverse” via a QR code, where they could create their own #ProudToBe sharable content, as well as enjoy an ever-growing library of influencer and "man on the street" video content telling culturally diverse #ProudToBe stories. Kalik would also introduce six limited-edition bottles with labels quoting inspirational expressions from the Bahamian national anthem.
RESULTS FOR POPULATION OF 280K OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE
4M+ IMPRESSIONS
800K+ VIDEO VIEWS
70K+ SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
1 ONGOING NATIONAL CONVERSATION
At a time when the media was saturated with Bahamian brands trying to piggy-back off the 50th Year Of Independence, Kalik stood out from the “noise.” Sparking a national conversation, Bahamians of diverse ages and walks of life got to express what made them #ProudToBe. Mayo versus the traditional lime on conch salad became a viral debate on social media picked up by popular comedians. We showcased the story of Kalik, invented by "Dr Off" to over 400k people - that's more than the population of The Bahamas! Whether you were 21, 38 or 89, everyone was #ProudToBe50.
