Bacardi Sociable Distancing Lens: Virtually pointless?

Milena-Sanchez-BACARDÍ-Snapchat-Still-701x1395“Come on, come on, Hurry up, Harry come on, Come on, come on, Hurry up Harry come on.” Yep, you guessed it, from tomorrow, there will be plenty of people following in the footsteps of Jimmy Pursey’s Sham 69 and “going down the pub” of course.

But the much-anticipated biggest piss-up in British history – so-called Super Saturday – comes with a snag. Apparently, there are still people out there who are wondering how the hell they are going to keep a safe distance from fellow boozers. (And good luck with that after a few bevvies.)

Luckily though help is at hand from, of all companies, Bacardi which is launching a new “Snapchat lens” to ensure revellers can enjoy a taste of rum at a minimum a metre distance when back in their local.

You see, the new #SociableDistancing Snapchat lens uses augmented reality, showcasing the distance between users’ smartphones and their friends while enjoying their favourite tipple at their local bar or restaurant.

Working with the bar community and those all-important “influencers” to raise awareness, according to the blurb, at least, the lens will allow individuals to continue to express themselves through dance and movement, all while social distancing.

Once activated, as users approach the metre distance, the Snapchat lens responds showing how much further they need to stand back to meet the guidelines. Once the distance is met, they will be given a green “thumbs up” and will be transported to a Caribbean island celebration with sunglasses, palm trees and the official Bacardi rum anthem, the “Sound of Rum”.

Bacardi Europe brand director Fabio Ruffet seems pretty excited: “July 4 is the true relaunch of the summer in England, and we want to support both bartenders and consumers the best we can. We know that people have a special bond with their local bars and restaurants and ensuring they can return to celebrate in style is something we feel passionately about.

“The UK bar scene has suffered a great deal during the pandemic, and we are so pleased to see our bartenders back behind the bar – while maintaining social distance of course.”

AMV BBDO innovation officer Ian Whittle is equally cock-a-hoop. He said: “At AMV we build social ideas that are relevant to audiences – backed up by data insight from Google trends, working in collaboration with Bacardi on this felt right for their brand, audience and the current cultural climate.”

So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?

God, we feel old, that’s the consensus. Now, we’re sure Bacardi knows its young audience well, but you have to ask yourself why on Earth would anyone bother fannying around with this? If you can’t work out how far a metre is by now, you must have taken more drugs than Shaun and Bez, and we’re not talking ounces or grams either.

Granted, this is not the first time Bacardi has used a Snapchat lens; in 2017, a staggering 18 million people watched Bacardi’s Music Video lens, launched in partnership with DJ Major Lazer, which allowed them to star in their own videos. Fair enough but that does actually sound quite entertaining.

To be honest, we’re just looking forward to having a few pints with our mates down at the local in the actual, rather than virtual world. We might even have a few Bacardis, but one thing is certain we won’t be looking at a mobile phone screen all night to see how whacky we all look surrounded by virtual sunglasses and palm trees.

Decision Marketing Adometer: A decidedly low-tech 5 out of 10

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