Why has Diageo given Captain Morgan rum a spicy makeover?

Diageo has revealed why it has updated its Captain Morgan rum to put spice at the forefront of the design, and the reasons may surprise you.

Discussing the new design, a spokesperson for Diageo told the drinks business that even though “the recipe remains the same” its design team “wanted to create a pack that has a balance between rough and refinement” so “they worked to put flavour at the forefront with bold colours” which allows for “more flexible use” across its “growing portfolio” and its “culture led partnerships and sponsorships”.

The drinks giant called its restyling of the popular rum packaging as “dynamic” and has disclosed to db that the move was to give the brand the “flexibility” it needs for collaborations and sponsorship on more of a global scale.

Samori Gambrah, global brand director of Captain Morgan, admitted: “This new pack design heroes the delicious spice of our liquid and character as a brand. It will allow us the flexibility we need to show up in a dynamic way in our sponsorships, live events, collaborations, and packaging around the world. This launch comes at an exciting time of transformation for Captain Morgan, as we evolve how we communicate with our consumers.”

The move follows Diageo’s decision last year to team up with coconut water player The Vita Coco Company on a line of Vita Coco Captain Morgan canned cocktails with an intriguing portfolio of flavours. Additionally, this year, Diageo’s Captain Morgan brand was highlighted as the second fastest-growing drinks brand on social media, showing its broadened appeal with next generation consumers that are hugely influenced by Instagram with @captainmorgan_official showing 63% growth.

Jo Smith, global design lead for Captain Morgan, added: “We wanted to create a fresher, more dynamic design that puts taste and flavour at the forefront.”

The update, which following the launch of the brand’s global ‘Spice On’ campaign in August last year, features a “bold colour palette” and the “addition of a gold brush stroke to represent the golden spice and smoothness of the rum” Diageo told db. However, industry sources have also revealed to db that “there is already speculation that this marks the beginning of the Captain Morgan brand staking out a strategic path in growing markets like Asia” and “this gives Diageo the sway it needs to sidestep the brand into the growing ready-to-drink (RTD) sector which will better suit a range of drinkers from east to west, rather than just rum fans”.

The new packaging, which also includes a refreshed version of the brand’s famous Captain icon, is set to be rolled out globally from March 2023.