Havana Club’s new “Forever Cuban” integrated campaign tells the story of the brand’s Cuban heritage and declares that though the brand is no longer produced in Cuba, it is, and will forever be, Cuban. . . . and the Havana Club brand sold by Pernod Ricard is “an imposter.’
The spot was released to coincide with the 59th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. It was created by BBDO New York, launched with a 60-second spot video that features Cuban-American actor Raul Esparza, best-known for his roles on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Hannibal, reciting “Island Body,” a poem written exclusively for the campaign by world-renowned Cuban poet Richard Blanco.
Through the poem and the spot, Havana Club rum speaks to its Cuban roots, establishes its authenticity and boldly tells adversaries “Don’t tell us we’re not Cuban.” Written, produced and directed entirely by Cuban exiles in Miami, and available in both English and Spanish, the film culminates with the tagline “Forced from home. Aged in Exile. Forever Cuban.”
In 1960, the revolutionary Cuban government illegally seized without compensation the Arechabala family businesses, including their Havana Club distillery, and jailed, then forced the family to flee the country in exile.
But, they could not steal the Arechabala’s recipe or strip the family of their soul, which is rooted in the craftsmanship of their product and solidifies their continued family legacy. The family sought refuge in the U.S., where the recipe was personally transcribed by Ramon Arechabala and given to Bacardi as part of an agreement between the two families. As a result, Bacardí has sold Havana Club rum exclusively in the U.S. since 1995.
“We recently debuted the ‘Forever Cuban’ campaign to reaffirm our place as the true Havana Club rum. Pernod Ricard, a French company, continues to partner with the Cuban dictatorship to produce rum under a stolen name. That does not make the Pernod Ricard and Cuban government’s rum brand ‘real,’ or ‘authentic,’ it makes it an imposter,” said Ned Duggan, vp-Rums for Bacardi. “Bacardi will continue selling Havana Club rum using the recipe based on the original, which was created by the Arechabalas in 1934 and is part of their family heritage.”