Our Work

Flipping the Flaw: Regaining Market Leadership for a Legacy Brand

Commercial StrategyTanduay2014Corporate, Brand & Product Value Proposition
Hands pouring a Tanduay rum bottle into a glass

We repositioned a declining Tanduay — transforming a weakness into a strength that drove emotional connection, increased market share, and propelled the brand to global leadership.

The challenge

Tanduay was losing ground to newer competition and carried a dated perception — seen as too strong and old-school for younger drinkers. The team needed to reclaim relevance and reshape how consumers saw the brand.

What we did

Acumen partnered with Tanduay to strengthen its customer value proposition through: We:

  1. A deep customer understanding process to surface real attitudes and emotions
  2. An insight that reframed “strong” not as a flaw—but as a flex: tapang
  3. Collaboration with the client and creative agency to bring this insight to life in a campaign that resonated across all key touchpoints

The impact

Tanduay's turnaround was dramatic. It regained revenue and share, and ultimately rose to become the #1 rhum in the world. By leaning into authentic customer insight, the team reframed perception and built a bold, emotionally resonant proposition that unlocked lasting relevance and dominance.

In their words

Tanduay is already number 1 worldwide in the rum category. We would like to thank and acknowledge Acumen for being part of this success.

Paul Lim, Assistant Vice President - Marketing

From the engagement
Hands pouring a Tanduay rum bottle into a glassHands pouring a Tanduay rum bottle into a glassHands pouring a Tanduay rum bottle into a glass
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