The brief seems clear: Make Havana Club feel like the authentic ‘rum of Cuba’.
So we’re transported to a room set which could be an impromptu bar set up in someone’s kitchen. It’s a bit of a rough neighbourhood judging by the state of the walls, painted decades ago in the duck-egg blue of the 1962 Buicks that you see in every Cuba tourist brochure. A few of those on the walls wouldn’t go amiss, but instead we’ve got some branded posters and a photo of a lonely woman against a nondescript background.
The bar – or kitchen – is frequented by at least two gentlemen in authentic Panama hats, but why are they placed comically on top of packaging? With this much theatrical real estate an authentic Cuban hatstand might have added some drama instead.
Never mind, we’ve got some vibrant branded fruit boxes and a herb garden, perfect for making a fresh cocktail. Just no-one to make it come alive.