Pernod Ricard brand Malibu in a facelift to gather sales momentum

The Rum brand Malibu owned by Pernod Ricard is to launch a new integrated marketing campaign that will end an 18 month absence from TV advertising. The company has set a side a £14 million budget for the next two years for it's new TV advertising campaign. The campaign is targeted towards 18 - 24 year old women who account for about 40% of all sales volume of Malibu.

The campaign is supported by a limited edition bottle that will feature a new summery design developed by Pernod's in house team and that will also feature cocktail receipts that involve the use of Malibu Rum. The new bottle design is also support by a brand new site (http://www.malibu-rum.com/) that feature the strap line "Get Your Island On" and has the same fresh design as the bottle label. The website includes other features such as cocktail receipts, TV advertising and downloads.





A feature which I believe is missing from Malibu's strategy is the actual social networking...summer is renowned for the parties and friends meeting for social events...it could be a good idea for Malibu promote itself as your party partner for the summer season and hence Twitter, Facebook (and other social networking sites such as Bebo and Myspace) and own blog would be a good idea. Could this proposed strategy enhance the chances of success of this campaign or is social networking not ideal for such products?