HAVANA CULTURA: BUILDING BRAND THROUGH CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Creating cultural value rather than simply borrowing from culture.

THE CHALLENGE

Havana Club had an authentic connection to Cuban culture and an opportunity to introduce contemporary Cuban music and creativity to audiences around the world.

The challenge was to build brand relevance internationally while creating something with genuine value for the artists and communities involved.

MY ROLE

At M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, I helped develop and deliver Havana Cultura Mix: a multi-market cultural platform bringing together Havana Club, BBC 6 Music DJ Gilles Peterson, Brownswood Recordings, Cuban artists and emerging producers from seven international markets.

My team led the integrated brand and marketing programme around the collaboration, spanning identity, platform development, artist recruitment, content, PR, media and live experiences.

THE APPROACH

At the centre of the idea was creative exchange.

Ten emerging international producers travelled to Cuba to collaborate with Cuban musicians, with the resulting work becoming an album curated with Gilles Peterson and Brownswood Recordings.

Rather than treating culture as campaign content, Havana Cultura created a platform for collaboration and discovery — connecting artists across borders while helping Havana Club build a credible role within global music culture.

THE IMPACT

The project created international exposure and paid opportunities for participating artists while strengthening Havana Club's long-term association with music and creative discovery.

It also became part of a broader cultural platform that connected brand, content, community and live experience around an authentic organising idea.