Pernod Ricard Gets Drinkers Singing with YouTube Contest
Spirits company Pernod Ricard USA is out with a new contest that gets people singing praises about its newest Malibu flavor, Tropical Banana, on YouTube.
The How Do You Banana Malibu? contest prompts consumers 21 and older to submit their own video interpretation of the classic song, “Banana Boat,” better know as “Day-O.” Malibu tapped DJ and producer RJD2 to create a new remix of the song for the promotion.
“We wanted to make create something young and fun and relevant,” Lisa McCann, senior brand manager for Malibu rum, said. “YouTube seemed like the ideal platform for us.”
Entries can be submitted at YouTube.com/MalibuBanana through June 13. Viewers can vote for their favorites between June 14 and 22. Actor Efren Ramirez from “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Employee of the Month” will judge the top 10 videos. The winner will receive the deeds to a tropical banana grove or $25,000.
The promotion targets consumers 21-29. So far, eight videos have been submitted for the contest, which kicked off May 1. The contest is meant to get consumers involved in the Malibu brand in a relevant way, McCann said.
“We’re getting a lot of buzz about it,” she said.
Tropical Banana is the fourth flavor in the Pernod Ricard’s Malibu rum line.
To drive trial of the product, Malibu is hitting local bars and clubs in 16 markets nationwide sampling the Tropical Banana flavor. The effort, which includes drink recipes for the rum, runs through the summer, McCann said.
Banner ads, print ads and radio spots support the campaign. The Thomas Collective handles PR.
