DARKHORSE awakens Kiwis & Aussies’ taste sensations in Malibu campaign

AUCKLAND, Today: To breathe life into Malibu’s refreshed brand direction, DARKHORSE, an exceptional integrated Brand Experience, PR, and Social agency, crafted a dynamic campaign. This ensured Malibu’s presence was felt throughout the summer.

Malibu globally shifted their brand platform to Do Whatever Tastes Good, aiming at Gen Z to unwind, have fun, and seize the moment.

Anchored in the Welcome to Malibu media campaign, the new direction saw significant activity. This included large-scale brand activations at Laneway Brisbane, Laneway Auckland, and Rhythm & Vines. Paid partnerships with two New Zealand content creators and bespoke collaborations with July suitcases further enhanced the campaign’s impact.

DARKHORSE‘s Head of Strategy & Creative, Rachael Crosby, notes, “The brief had several layers, and we knew there were several key touchpoints we had to hit for this activity.”

Some standout results include nearly doubling Malibu sales volume compared to 2023, distributing close to 3000 pieces of merch across all festivals, and reaching over 300,000 people through influencer engagement.

“The brief had several layers, and we knew there were several key touchpoints we had to hit for this activity.” – Rachael Crosby

The campaign across ANZ brought impressive results, with a 22% increase in the Malibu Australia database and surpassing KPIs by 270%. This marked the most successful Pernod Ricard campaign executed by DARKHORSE to date.

Another highlight was spotting headliner Dominic Fike rocking the bespoke Malibu branded merch on stage. Pernod Ricard Marketing Director, Kristy Rutherford, says, “Seeing a headline act in Malibu merchandise highlights the power of the Malibu brand being the right offer at the right time for the right audience.”

With 21,400 attendees at Laneway Brisbane and a wave of TikTok videos post-event, the reach from this merch was massive for the brand.

DARKHORSE remains at the forefront, serving as Malibu’s lead creative agency for ANZ, as well as continuing as Malfy Gin’s lead creative agency for Australia and New Zealand.

CREDITS

Pernod Ricard: ANZ
Brand Manager: Josh Inbari
Senior Brand Manager: Liam O’Connell

DARKHORSE ANZ
Head of Strategy & Creative: Rachael Crosby
Event Director: Penny Thomas
Senior Experiential Producer: Sofie Koers
Executive Event Producer: Amber Manuell
Communications Group Account Director: Nicole Haysom
Communications Account Director: Morgan Manson
Senior Social Media Account Director: Libby Angus