Bacardi has partnered with Live Nation on a summer promotion that uses mobile to strengthen brand awareness and drive engagement, as well as provide a deeper connection to fans whenever they seek music information.

Live Nation recently launched advertising on its Live Nation mobile Web site and Bacardi is the first big brand taking advantage of the new program. The campaign uses Bacardi?s ?Best Shared Live? tagline to build customer engagement via mobile, online and in-store elements.

?Bacardi is an iconic spirits brand with a unique history and heritage that has always championed a spirit for life and music,? said Toby Whitmoyer, vice president and category managing director, rums at Bacardi U.S.A. Inc., Coral Gables, FL.

?Through the ?Best Shared Live? program, we will tap into Live Nation Entertainment?s multi-faceted digital marketing platform, which includes a mobile platform that serves as a new tool for fans seeking music information,? he said.

?The goal of the program is to bring people together and strengthen brand awareness among our target audiences, by integrating live music into their daily lives.?

Summer Fun
Bacardi currently owns all the inventory on the Live Nation mobile Web site to support the promotion which began in June and will continue through the summer.

When consumers click on an ad for Bacardi on the Live Nation mobile Web site they have the option of three different subsequent actions. They can link to a mobile page with cocktail recipes, enter a sweepstakes or link to the Bacardi Facebook page.

Those entering the sweepstakes have a chance to win an all expenses paid trip to any Live Nation concert anywhere in the United States.

Bacardi will also participate in a new SMS share functionality on the Live Nation mobile Web site. How it works is that anyone searching on the site for a venue or band can send a SMS message to a friend that will let them know which band is playing, as well as where and when the performance will take place.

The messaging is being sponsored by Bacardi, with its ?Best Shared Live? tagline incorporated into the share functionality.

There is a retail element of the campaign, too. It includes bottle danglers on Bacardi products. The danglers will feature download codes for Live Nation Entertainment Concert Cash, redeemable on LiveNation.com's BACARDI -branded landing page for tickets and artist merchandise

?We love the fact that Bacardi is creating a promotion around music and bringing Live Nation to retail, which is great for us, ?said Russell Wallach, president of the Live Nation Network, Beverly Hills, CA.

?For brands that are all about fun and nightlife, those brands work perfectly in the music space,? he said.

Other partners
Now that the company has launched advertising on the Live Nation mobile Web site, it is looking for other advertising partners.

Later this year, Live Nation will also launch a new version of its iPhone app and will begin looking on a selective basis integrate brands into its Live Nation mobile apps.

?Once the Bacardi promotion is over, we have plans to do similar programs with other blue chip brands that also make sense for music,? Mr. Wallach said.

?We are seeing incredible interest from a wide range of brands,? he said.

?What brands love about it is that they know that their customers love music and everyone is looking to engage with customers on a one-to-one basis.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode, Assoc. Editor, Mobile Marketer

/>