Martinii vermouth and sparkling wine are not exactly the cool drinks for hip young things. Currently.

Bacardi is hoping to change that. So it has invested €10m (AU$18.3m) on a campaign called #BeginDesire in broadcast, print and digital. A design upgrade is also in the works. That will begin with giving its ball and bar motif more prominence across marketing and products.

Sandy Mayo, Martini senior global category director said: “We are exploring options as we look ahead to 2015. This [motif] is reflected in our digital work and we will see a real manifestation of that in 2015. In the #BeginDesire film with the use of the iconic Martini sign, you see a potent expression of this. We’d like to see that in every city.”

“Begin Desire communicates the sense of possibility at the heart of MARTINI, as well as the brand’s core values and beliefs: true artisanship, unstudied sophistication and the joy and romance of living with passion and authenticity. The new platform is designed to resonate deeply among a new generation of legal drinking age Martini consumers, reasserting the iconic Italian brand’s position as the leader in its category,” Bacardi states ion its website.

Essentially, the new worldwide campaign targets the in crowd with a fashion forward brand film (and, in the keeping with the fashionable way of launching ad films, four behind the scenes films: Behind the Scenes, Style, Aperitivo: “Join us as the cast and crew of our latest television campaign reminisce over their favourite Martini aperitivo cocktails.,” and Rome).

“Martini is nothing short of legendary – a brand that prides itself on the excellence of the product and the richness of its Italian story. It’s a romantic drink, so with this film we’re trying to tell a story that echoes that. We don’t view it as a commercial, we think of it as a romantic short film, a way of celebrating the history and heritage of the brand, but restating its relevance for the 21st-Century world,” Mayo asserted.

The film was created by Opperman Weiss in New York, directed by RSA’s Jake Scott, and…

“In a case of art imitating life, the lead role is played by beautiful newcomer Elena Mirela, who was working as a real-life waitress in a bar in Rome, when she was spotted by Jake Scott and his crew, and cast immediately!”

Creative Credits:
Creative agency: Opperman Weiss
Executive creative director/copywriter: Paul Opperman
Executive creative director/art director: Jeff Weiss
Executive producer: Mark Johnston

Production company: RSA Films
Director; Jake Scott
Executive producer: Tracie Norfleet

Editing: Bug Editorial

Sound engineer: Cory Melious @ Heard City
Music: Duotone