How We Increased Community Engagement and Brand Storytelling for Planteray Rum
01
The Ask
Planteray Rum, one of the world’s most renowned spirit brands and a firm favourite among bartenders, approached us to produce a series of cocktail videos for social media, with a clear aim to deepen their connection with the bar community and elevate their brand storytelling.
The brief was to individually feature five of their distinct rum varieties, with a tone that felt educational, conversational, and fun, while engaging both bartenders and a wider audience online.
02
The Approach
As former bartenders ourselves, we knew the best way to tell Planteray’s story wasn’t just through cocktails, but through the people who make them. From this insight, we created Bartender Stories on Bar Classics, a narrative-driven video series pairing bartenders with Planteray Rum bottles that held personal significance, whether tied to a defining career moment, a cherished memory, or an emotion.
To showcase the versatility of their range, we selected five very different world-class bars in New York and London. Over two weeks, our video production team filmed in two bars in New York and three in London, navigating tight schedules and the challenges of live bar environments to capture authentic stories.
Authenticity was central to our approach. During pre-production, we arranged calls with each bartender to learn about their personality, journey, and connection to Planteray Rum. Together, we shaped story arcs tailored not just to the bottles and cocktails, but also to the people and the venues. By the time filming began, each episode had a clear narrative: why this bar in New York or London, why this cocktail mattered, and why Planteray Rum was at its heart.
On set, our lean team delivered full-service video production services across two core setups:
Interview setups, where bartenders shared their stories in their own words, guided by agreed talking points for a natural flow.
Behind-the-bar setups, where we filmed cocktails being made, pairing process-driven shots with the personality behind them.
Each interview lasted one to two hours, giving bartenders space to relax and speak openly. That trust carried into post-production, where our focus was to ensure their voices came through truthfully in every edit. To build a stronger sense of place, we also captured b-roll of each venue, capturing the details and energy that make them some of the world’s best bars. Alongside video, we provided professional photography services, capturing cocktails, bartenders, and bottles to extend the campaign across digital channels.
03
The Outcome
The final series elevated each cocktail from a recipe to a story. By combining premium video production services, photography, and content strategy, the Bartender Stories on Bar Classics campaign transformed drinks into cultural touchpoints, positioning Planteray Rum as a brand that not only makes exceptional spirits for award-winning cocktails, but also champions the people behind them.
From a single production cycle, we delivered a versatile suite of highly engaging assets:
10 videos, including long-form videos for YouTube and shorter cuts tailored for Instagram
100+ professional photographs spanning cocktails, bartenders, and brand imagery
