Bacardi Japan Unlocks Brand Outcomes With Dentsu Persona Hub, Powered by Ogury

Context

As lifestyles in Japan continue to evolve, Bacardi Japan faced the challenge of engaging a new generation of consumers who no longer fit traditional category stereotypes. In a fragmented media landscape, identifying and reaching these audiences consistently across digital channels proved difficult, as traditional demographic and interest-based targeting often delivered reach without sustained relevance or impact.

To address this, Bacardi Japan called on trusted partners Dentsu Inc. and Ogury to deliver a data-driven, multichannel campaign powered by their dentsu persona hub.

Campaign

The campaign aimed to drive stronger brand outcomes by engaging high-intent consumers consistently throughout their digital journey. Running from August 8th to 22nd, 2025, it leveraged dentsu persona hub, combining Ogury’s proprietary data with Dentsu Inc.’s consumer research insights to build an in-depth persona and activate it on a major video platform, two social media platforms, and the open web.

Using dentsu persona hub, Bacardi Japan’s “Exuberant” target audience was translated into a persona of socially active 21+ individuals who enjoy festivals and shared experiences with friends. Rather than fitting stereotypical partygoer profiles, this approach delivered nuanced, media-actionable insights.

To effectively reach this persona across diverse sites and apps — not just spirits contexts — Ogury qualified audiences by directly asking visitors a few questions, like:

• Do you enjoy attending concerts & festivals? (Answer: Yes)
• Which activity do you enjoy most during the weekend? (Answer: Concerts and/or Theater)
• Which type of alcohol do you purchase the most? (Answer: Spirits)

This strategy was brought to life through platform-specific creative and messaging. Using premium, engaging formats, the campaign delivered a standout experience within multiple digital environments at scale.

Results

Bacardi Japan’s campaign resonated strongly with the intended persona and was delivered using two targeting approaches: the dentsu persona hub setup described above, and standard interest-based targeting. Results highlighted how this market-leading partnership delivered outstanding outcomes across both media performance and brand impact.

On the major video platform, VCR exceeded 65%, more than twice the market benchmark*. Social media platforms also delivered strong performance, with CTR increasing to approximately 1.5x the standard rate and VCR rising to nearly threefold.*

On the open web, a Brand Lift Study conducted by third-party measurer Happydemics further confirmed the impact of Ogury’s targeting and activation.

+43pts Positive Brand Image**
61% of ad recallers exposed to dentsu persona hub expressed a positive perception of the Bacardi Rum brand, compared with 18% among non-exposed users.

+17pts Consideration to Buy Bacardi Rum**
43% of ad recallers exposed to dentsu persona hub indicated they would consider buying Bacardi Rum, up from 26% among non-exposed users.

*Benchmarks predefined by Dentsu Japan | **Happydemics Brand Lift Study

“We were drawn to dentsu persona hub’s ability to reach audiences that traditional methods couldn’t fully capture. 

Reproducing results across multiple media channels represents significant progress, and implementing dentsu persona hub proved our ability to effectively engage previously hard-to-reach potential targets.”

Ryutaro Okumura
Marketing Manager, Bacardi Japan