Malibu Leads the Way to Summer Fun in ‘Search For Summer’ Campaign

Malibu launched its second ever Snapchat lens – a bursting pineapple head – to celebrate National Piña Colada Day, as part of the wider “Search for Summer” campaign. Malibu is not only leading the way to summer fun, but is also leading the way for all spirit brands looking to tap Snapchat. Malibu became the first spirit brand to use Snapchat lenses this past Memorial Day.

As a brand that stands for being playful and open to spontaneity, Malibu’s campaign embodies that experience at all touch points, allowing millennials to channel their carefree, summer selves. Search data lies at the core of the creative concept – interest in Malibu spikes on the weekends, and even more so on summer holidays.With this insight, the campaign inspires spontaneity by tapping into unexpected discovery on search.

The rum brand worked with 360i to invite millennials to search for summer fun – literally – with a series of 13 short videos that demonstrate that everything is more fun when paired with Malibu.

Collectively, the videos create a search-led scavenger hunt for quirky, customized videos that reward viewers with timely new cocktail recipes. Individually, each video offers a moment of spontaneity through an unexpected, gamified experience in what would otherwise be a monotonous feed of search content. Every video ends with a playful game – answer the riddle, and discover the search term for the next video.

The first video “Malibu + July 4th” launched on social and invited searchers to discover a new cocktail recipe –Yacht Rock, created exclusively for the campaign and just in time for the holiday. The second wave launched this past weekend for National Piña Colada Day, leading to a new set of unexpected videos such as “Malibu + Date” and a new recipe for Piña Colada fanatics – the Coco Crusher.

In addition to search, the “Search for Summer” videos will be promoted across social, digital, and programmatic, with an emphasis on Snapchat through filters, lenses, and live stories.

Start your search for summer fun and use this riddle to find out what search term to pair with Malibu next: No ____. No shoes. More Malibu. That’s our policy.

  360i, Alcohol, Beverage, Digital, Malibu, Marketing, National Piña Colada Day, Promotion, Search for Summer, Snapchat, Social Media, Sponsored Lenses