Bacardi used bats living under a bridge in Austin to create music for the SXSW music festival. By digitally tracking the bats' movements as they flew at dusk to feed, the bats' flight paths triggered different sections of electronic beats and sounds that were mixed together by DJs into a unique piece of bat-inspired music available on SoundCloud. The project combined Bacardi's long association with bats in its logo with music and technology, fitting well into the innovative environment of SXSW.

1. Bacardi Uses Bats to Create Music at SXSWBacardi Uses Bats to Create Music at SXSW

2. •Since its founding 152 years ago in Cuba, Bacardi has used a
stylized bat as its logo. In Cuba at the time, this animal
represented family and good fortune, so branding the
company's rum with the bat was seen as a good omen. When
the BACARDI rum brand decided to participate in Austin's
SXSW music festival this March, the brand began to develop a
unique project that would involve the city's massive urban bat
colony. More than 100,000 bats live under Austin's Congress
Avenue bridge and fly out every evening at dusk to feed.

3. •Working with sound engineers, the BACARDI rum designed a
program that would digitally capture the bats' movements and
pair them with sets of electronic beats. As the bats flew up or
down, they triggered different sections of a predetermined
sound grid. DJs then mixed the bat-inspired music into a
unique arrangement that can be found on SoundCloud. The
mix of music and technology fitted well into the SXSW
environment, which is rich with musical innovation.