Case Study: How CASA BACARDÍ blended cinema, salons & social events to engage Indian youth during Halloween

In recent years, Halloween has increasingly resonated with India’s youth, growing into a significant cultural event. Over the past five years, CASA BACARDÍ has become a known figure in the Halloween landscape, offering experiences that encourage self-expression. For Halloween 2024, CASA BACARDÍ launched a three-week, nationwide campaign under the theme ‘Give Into Your Mood,’ aimed at engaging audiences with interactive experiences centred around creativity and self-expression. The initiative culminated in Mumbai with a Halloween event, reinforcing Halloween as a platform for creative exploration and setting new standards for the celebration's cultural relevance in India.

Category Introduction

India is the largest global market for rum and is also one of the most rapidly growing ones. This growth is fueled by evolving consumer preferences and increasing demand for new flavoured rums. The rum market in India is projected to generate substantial revenue, reaching $1.2 billion in 2024, largely from at-home sales (supermarkets and convenience stores), while out-of-home sales, including restaurants and bars, contribute $34.7 million. Revenue from at-home sales is anticipated to grow annually at a rate of 3.48% from 2024 to 2029. On a global scale, the United States leads with the highest at-home revenue, valued at $1.569 billion in 2024.

In India, this translates to an average per capita revenue of $0.82 for at-home rum sales. In terms of volume, at-home rum consumption is expected to reach 236.5 million litres by 2024, while out-of-home consumption stands at 4.1 million litres, totalling 240.6 million litres. However, a slight decrease of 0.8% is projected for at-home volume in 2025. The average at-home volume per person in India is estimated at 0.16 litres in 2024, reflecting evolving consumer preferences and the growing significance of rum within India’s spirits market.

Brand Introduction 

BACARDÍ is a global rum brand, known for its rum offerings. With a longstanding history in India, the brand has introduced rum spirits such as the BACARDÍ Carta Blanca and BACARDÍ Limon. The brand explores new touchpoints and builds new cultural connections to better meet consumers in the spaces they enjoy and relate to. It leverages social media and digital platforms to promote the brand’s ethos that emphasises enjoyment, creativity, and self-expression. Its social media presence helps amplify reach and better connect with consumers, tapping into trending conversations and bringing them new offerings that meet their preferences, be it in the spaces of spirits and cocktails, or cultural trends.

Summary

The brands’ Halloween campaign centred around CASA BACARDÍ Halloween, featuring a 3-week takeover offline as well as online leading up to its Halloween party. Designed as an experiential, immersive campaign, the party aimed to capture the spirit of Halloween, creating a space for guests to express themselves freely while embracing the festive atmosphere. This year, the brand partnered with Homegrown to produce a short film directed by co-founder and CEO Varsha Patra, where five characters explore different sides of themselves, setting the tone for an introspective and expressive Halloween.

The Halloween campaign unfolded over four stages. It kicked off with a cinema takeover, hosting a Halloween-themed screening at Mumbai’s Liberty Cinema, followed by a DJ set and themed party. The second stage saw a salon takeover in Mumbai, where guests enjoyed spooky makeovers for the Halloween season. The third stage, CASA BACARDÍ & Social Offline hosted an 8-day Halloween takeover, featuring a special cocktail and food menu across four major cities that captured the spirit of the season. The festivities culminated at the Halloween Party at Great Eastern Mills, a venue featuring performances from Indian artists, immersive experiential zones, and specially curated food and cocktails.

Under the theme ‘Give In To Your Mood,’ the campaign celebrated self-expression and creative individuality, reinforcing the brands’ association with celebration, self-expression, and the festive spirit of Halloween.

Problem Statement/Objective 

The objective of the campaign was to amplify and highlight the occasion of Halloween as a platform for self-expression and celebration among the Indian audience.

Brief

CASA BACARDÍ Halloween is an event crafted to offer an immersive space where consumers can fully embrace self-expression while celebrating the cultural phenomenon of Halloween. The brand briefed the Homegrown team to approach this event as an opportunity to inspire creativity and individuality, qualities that are central to the brands’ ethos, and to identify touchpoints that capture consumer attention effectively. The primary goal was to elevate the celebration with unforgettable experiences, amplifying the spirit of creativity and festivity that forms a core pillar of the brand.

Creative Idea 

Creating four immersive and experiential events marking the Halloween celebration, where consumers can engage with the brand and the occasion while enjoying the best of the celebrations. The three events were:

• Exclusive movie screening and afterparty at Liberty Cinema, Mumbai

• CASA BACARDÍ X You Do You Hair: Halloween-themed salon takeover at You Do You Hair Salon for spooky makeovers in Mumbai

• CASA BACARDÍ X Social Offline: 8-day Bar takeover, offering a special cocktail and food menu across four major cities 

• Multi-stage CASA BACARDÍ Halloween party, CASA BACARDÍ Halloween party, in Mumbai

Challenges

To maintain creative consistency across diverse formats and ensure the multi-mood concept aligns seamlessly with the brand’s identity.

Execution

Social Media

This year, the Halloween campaign’s approach centred on crafting creative Halloween storytelling, both offline and online, that resonated with urban Gen-Z and millennial consumers. It was designed to capture their varied interests through innovative, new-age formats of creative expression, with the concept of moods as the core focus.

Campaign Platform: Give in to your mood

The Four Moods:

• In the mood to express

• In the mood to explore

• In the mood to stir it up

• In the mood to shapeshift

The Brand Film: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Homegrown (@homegrownin)

The film immersed viewers in the Halloween spirit, encouraging them to embrace the many facets of themselves during this key cultural occasion. 

The brand partnered with a diverse group of influencers that resonate with the brand philosophy and Halloween campaign to ‘Give Into Your Mood’  to enhance the experiences and amplify its reach on Facebook and Instagram. This collaboration aimed to connect with the brands' target audience in an authentic and engaging manner, ensuring that the campaign resonated well across social platforms. 

Social media posts

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by En Lai Phukan (He/Him) 🧿 (@chowenlai)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jahanvi Choudhary (@justjanvi)

Results 

Overall impact:

47.3 million reach across digital platforms

27.12 million views across digital platforms

Qualitative Result: 

CASA BACARDÍ Pre-Party at Liberty Cinemas

Total Footfall: 400+

CASA BACARDÍ Halloween Party

Total Footfall: 1,820+

Ashish Jha, Brand Lead, BACARDÍ said, “The CASA BACARDÍ Halloween campaign was focused towards creating a holistic 360 plan where guests can fully experience Halloween both online as well as offline, and express themselves freely. The three on-ground experiences brought together a variety of touchpoints and consumer interests, such as cinema, music, dance, makeup, and of course, horror themes through our curated décor, artists, venue, and cocktails. Together, we aimed to bring our audiences into a world where they can express their most creative and adventurous sides, and celebrate Halloween to its fullest. It’s this fusion of creativity, culture, and connection that embodies BACARDÍ's commitment to making moments matter for our consumers.”