Hamilton, Bermuda, – Bacardi Limited today launches an international free prize draw competition to meet its Global Social Responsibility Ambassador Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal as part of the award-winning “Champions Drink Responsibly” social responsibility campaign. Starting today, legal drinking age consumers and fans from around the world will get the opportunity to “Ace Rafa” in an online virtual reality video game created by Bacardi Limited.
Fans who successfully “ace” the ten-time Grand Slam winner in the game will go into a free prize draw to win a spot in the Grand Final. The lucky finalists will get to meet Rafa Nadal face-to-face in Mallorca, Spain, in 2012 for the chance to try and “ace“ him in-person.
Legal drinking age consumers can enter the competition via the “Champions Drink Responsibly” Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ChampionsDrinkResponsibly) where they will face Rafa by using the RoboServ 3000 –– a state-of-the-art 12-foot tall tennis-serving robot.
The imagery in the game was shot on location in Rafa’s hometown of Manacor in Mallorca, Spain, where the tennis champion also trains. Unlike most console and online games, “Ace Rafa” features a real version of Rafael Nadal rather than a computer-generated version of the tennis great. The game is brought to life as Rafa reacts to each serve as though he was playing an actual game of tennis against another person.
“Ace Rafa” is the latest promotion in the Bacardi Limited “Champions Drink Responsibly” global campaign. The Bacardi social responsibility campaign highlights the important message that “Everyone Knows Where the Line Is” when it comes to drinking responsibly and was launched by Rafa in March.
“I hope my fans enjoy this unique chance to play against me. Drinking responsibly is a serious message and I believe we will reach and influence more people with this important message by expressing it in a more light-hearted and interactive way. ‘Knowing where the line is’ is vital in tennis and in life,” said Rafa Nadal, the Bacardi Limited Global Social Responsibility Ambassador. “I have faced some incredible serves on the tennis tour, but the RoboServ is a tough competitor and in the right hands it is going to be difficult to beat. I look forward to meeting some of the best Bacardi-created champions face-to-face next year.”
“We are really excited to launch this interactive game as part of our “Champions Drink Responsibly” program. We are serving up to fans a truly unique opportunity to compete online against one of the world’s leading tennis champions and some very lucky people will even meet Rafa in-person,” said Bacardi Limited President and CEO Séamus McBride. “The ‘Ace Rafa’ promotion is all about connecting with consumers in a dynamic and engaging way to reinforce the important message of responsible drinking.”
The “Champions Drink Responsibly” campaign was first introduced by family-owned Bacardi Limited in April 2008 featuring seven-time Formula 1™ World Champion Michael Schumacher with the message “Drinking and Driving Don’t Mix.” The campaign is rooted in the strong heritage and commitment of Bacardi Limited to promote responsible drinking. The Company launched its first social responsibility advertising campaign in Mexico in the 1930s when it pioneered the idea of responsible drinking with the slogan of “Bacardi wishes to sell, but it does not want the money you should use to buy bread.”
Since then, the Company created widely respected social responsibility initiatives in the 1970s with its two-decade running, award-winning “Bacardi mixes with everything. Except driving.” advertisement. Also raising the bar in social responsibility messaging and engagement was the Company’s recent success with the “Driver's Corner” experience in Germany and Austria, and the “Whatever Your Reason” television campaign in the U.S. which personalized the responsibility message to teach adult consumers about the different reasons for drinking responsibly.
For additional details and information about the Bacardi Limited “Champions Drink Responsibly” campaign, please visit www.championsdrinkresponsibly.com.
About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited is the largest privately held spirits company in the world and produces and markets a variety of internationally-recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio consists of more than 200 brands and labels, including some of the world’s favorite and best-known products: BACARDI® rum, the world’s favorite premium rum and world’s most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world-leader in super premium vodka; DEWAR’S® Scotch whisky, the top-selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI® vermouth, the world-leader in vermouth; CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, the number-one premium tequila in Mexico and a top-selling premium tequila in the United States; and other leading brands. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
Family-owned Bacardi was founded in Santiago de Cuba, February 4, 1862, and currently employs more than 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities in 16 countries on four continents, and sells in more than 100 markets globally. In February 2012, the Company will celebrate its 150th anniversary. For additional information, please visit www.bacardilimited.com.
About Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is the winner of ten Grand Slam singles titles and widely regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time.
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