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Bacardi Limited

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2013 American Business Awards

Company: Bacardi Limited
Company Division/Group: Bacardi-Martini, Inc.
Company Description: Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally-recognized spirits and wines. Its brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in 1862, and family-owned for the past seven generations, Bacardi employs nearly 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities in 16 markets, and sells in more than 150 countries.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign/Program of the Year - Internal Communications

Nomination Title: Bacardi Limited: Engaging Employees in Celebrating 150 Years of Bringing People Together

Tell the story about this nominated campaign since January 1 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS:

February 4, 2012, marked the 150th anniversary of Bacardi, the world’s largest privately-held spirits company. The milestone created an extraordinary opportunity to engage employees and educate them on the unique heritage of the family-owned company – one that revolutionized the spirits world and is credited with the first Cuba Libre, Original Daiquiri and Mojito. The successful execution of the 150th anniversary became one of Company’s key global priorities. It was the first company-wide activation that involved all regions and functions across nearly 6,000 employees.

RESEARCH:

In August 2011, Global Corporate Communications worked with markets to identify anniversary communications needs and organization of assets. The team identified a lack of consistent information and developed a database of heritage facts used as the foundation for materials.

PLANNING & EXECUTION:

The internal communications objectives for the 150th Anniversary were:

create passionate brand ambassadors;
educate employees about the Company’s rich heritage;
create anniversary assets for local activation;
instill pride and generate excitement; and
establish a one-stop shop for all anniversary information across countries and functions.

The team created a network of anniversary contacts at all sites and in September, the internal count down to the anniversary started – 150 days prior to the 150th anniversary. A centralized online source of information, the Anniversary Hub, went live on the Company’s global intranet ONE Bacardi. With a $200k budget, Global Corporate Communications crafted a clear, corporate story and developed assets such as timelines, videos, imagery, key messages, contests, infographics, and more, to educate and engage employees in the rich heritage.

EVALUATION:

The 150th Anniversary resulted in a new benchmark for global employee activations, delivered record-breaking participation, and exceeded program objectives:

•Created 100 anniversary assets to share our story - availability resulted in local market production savings valued at nearly $1M.
•All locations hosted an employee party and 84% posted photos/videos - the highest global engagement for one program.
•Within six months, 60% of the company visited the Anniversary Hub, exceeding 94,000 views – 2.5 times more than the previously most visited section. For the first time ever, more than half the company was on ONE Bacardi - a significant feat considering only one third of employees are in offices, in front of computers.
•One month before the anniversary, ONE Bacardi usage rose by more than 120% -- exceeding its target of a 10% annual increase.
•Results of the first-ever global Employee Engagement Survey resulted in 92% participation with overall engagement of 3.76 (4 considered “Best in Class”). Favorable results indicated pride and employee passion. Anniversary celebrations unequivocally drummed up excitement and pride.
•Partnered with External Communications to promote media activities and create Company ambassadors by encouraging promotion of external activities and content via email signatures, customer communications, special events and social media.
•The Anniversary Hub was so successful that Martini (also owned by Bacardi Limited) will set up a similar site to support its own 150th anniversary in 2013.

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Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that carried out this campaign:

Pat Neal is Vice President, Corporate Communications serving as head of global corporate communications for Bacardi Limited. She is responsible for and manages all media, corporate and crisis communications. Pat spent more than 20 years as a broadcast journalist—seventeen at CNN where she held a variety of global positions including overseeing the network’s on-air news coverage. Pat is a multi-award winning journalist who also founded a national media consulting firm specializing in strategic communications and establishing experts on international network news. Pat is a graduate of Rhodes College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.