The Black Eyed Peas rolled into their home town, Los Angeles, with a bang—or a "Boom Boom Pow," you might say. The band sold out its two high-energy, high-tech shows at the Staples Center on March 29 and 30. Spirit purveyor Bacardi, the official beverage sponsor of the 100 or so shows in the band's E.N.D. world tour also drew crowds for its own programming associated with the concerts.
The brand hosted two official after-show parties, the first at L.A. Live's Club Nokia and the second at the Conga Room, which brought members of the band for DJ sets, plus performances by LMFAO and RedFoo.
"Tour promoter A.E.G. was looking at what brands would fit nicely with [the Black Eyes Peas]," said Bacardi brand manager Billy Melnyck, who oversees the partnership. "There are lots of endorsement opportunities and partnerships [the band has] forged, and they see that as the future of music. Bacardi seemed like a natural match because of our longstanding connection with music, and because our brand matches the diversity of music and characters in the band."
Bacardi is sponsoring the entire tour, which is presented by BlackBerry, and is hosting after-parties produced by St. Louis-based Javelin, with installations traveling to all tour stops. Bacardi products are on offer at the parties, including the "V.I.Pea," which a mixologist created for the occasion.
"What's interesting is how subtle some of our branding is," said Melnyck. "We wanted consumers to leave the concert and the after-party with the feeling that Bacardi was there with them."