Gordon Chisholm

Gordon Chisholm is one of BACARDI Flavored Rums’ secret weapons. Chisholm’s passion for research and strategic planning have made him an indispensable influence at the house of BACARDI since he joined the company almost 12 years ago. “I have had the amazingly good fortune to work for an amazingly good company here in the States for about eight years, and I spent four years in Canada with BACARDI,” shared the Zimbabwe native. Chisholm joined BACARDI following a stint at Nestlé where he developed the zeal to create brand identities for exotic and classic flavors. “The big advantage of working with BACARDI is that its shelf life is timeless,” he adds.

In his role as brand director for BACARDI Flavored Rums, Chisholm works on the brand team and manages the trademark for two groups — BACARDI flavored rums and flavored cocktails, and its malt beverage coolers, BACARDI Silver. “I manage the marketing mix. We put together a strategic brand for our flavors and roadmap the product for three years out — pretty much putting together a plan and strategy behind those brands on an annual basis.”

In early April, BACARDI introduced the newest member of its product family, BACARDI Dragon Berry, which is a strawberry-infused rum flavored with the exotic dragon fruit. “We used digital technology to reach the market. With Dragon Berry, we’re using Facebook to its fullest extent [and] within four days; we had 5,000 friends … join us on Facebook. We are also using MySpace and mobile technology to communicate how to drink the product and recipes,” Chisholm says of the highly successful viral marketing campaign for the flavored spirit.

BACARDI Dragon Berry can be mixed with ginger ale, lemonade or a lime beverage to create a savory cocktail. BACARDI Dragon Berry is open for friends, 21 years and older, on facebook.com/BacardiDragonBerry. –yvette caslin