The Brief

Bundaberg Rum has always formed meaningful connections with consumers through tours of their distillery. In 2011 Bundaberg was hit by disastrous floods that left the distillery underwater. The floods, combined with the distillery’s remote location, meant visitors were in decline, and the brand was in trouble. The objective of the campaign was to form a bond between consumers and Bundy’s origins. The target audience was drawn from new and existing customers. And the campaign strategy was create a connection between the heart of Bundaberg Rum and the heart of Australia.

Creative Execution

The reason people stopped visiting the distillery was its remote location, and the threat of another major flood. By taking the distillery on an endless tour of Australia, The Distillatorium meant people could experience the distillery and engage with Bundy’s heritage in an entertaining way, without going anywhere. The Distillatorium is the first innovative mobile experience of this scale in Australia. Never before has a company attempted to take their factory into the hearts of local communities. This is appropriate to the brand because it allows people to connect with the heart of Bundaberg Rum in their local community.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

If Australia couldn’t come to the distillery, our solution was to take the distillery to Australia. To do this we created The Distillatorium. This innovative mobile experience travels the country in an 18-wheeler truck. When it arrives at its destination, a hydraulic system transforms the truck into The Distillatorium—a museum/house of entertainment that takes people into Bundaberg’s past, and its future. The Distillatorium is on the road 365 days, stopping at towns, cities, remote communities, music festivals, road shows and local events. The Distillatorium hoped to visit 18 towns.

Results

After six months on the road, the Distillatorium has visited 22 locations. Thousands have experienced the Distillatorium and it’s helped Bundy’s facebook community reach 110,000. Wherever the Distillatorium goes, national and local media follow—newspapers, magazines and local networks have run hundreds of articles. Since the Distillatorium hit the road Bundaberg Rum has become the fastest growing dark spirit in Australia. It has also created countless Rumbassadors—devoted fan bases spreading the word of Bundy’s rich heritage in their community—a result that means the heart of Bundy is now firmly planted in the hearts of local communities all over Australia.