Clashaca!

Of all the competitions between all the spirits brands, there is no more heated battle than the one for dominance of the cachaca market. Cachaca, Brazilian rum made from sugar cane (instead of molasses) is the ingredient in the Caipirinha, the drink many people are banking on to become the "next Mojito."

But first there are some problems. Though there are thousands of cachacas in Brazil, and most Americans don't know what cachaca is, what it's supposed to taste like, or how to pronounce it. Thus, brands trying to gain market share in America have to do a lot of education to get consumers familiar with it. That means a lot of ads, a lot of education programs, a lot of free drinks, and a lot of money spent. And it's so very, very fun to watch.

The big three spenders are Leblon, Sagatiba, and Cabana; each of them taking different approaches to battle. So, let's see who's winning!

ADS:
 
Sagatiba has trippy flower power ads that say fun! Cabana has not-safe-for-work and uber-present sexy ads that say sex! Leblon has ads that are green.

I actually like the Sagatiba ads best but in this contest the winner is obviously Cabana.

WEBSITE:

Cabana's website has a groovy beat to it, but takes a million years to load and the navigation is all but useless. Sagatiba's website has great navigation, it loads fast, and is fairly entertaining. Leblon's website is sort of cluttered and it takes you to a whole bunch of other websites. One of those is NarenAndJacobGoToLeblonBeach.com, probably the longest domain name you ever want to type.

The clear winner is Sagatiba.

MULTI-MEDIA:

Sagatiba has a whole bunch of Brazilian artists featured on their website, as does Lebon in the NarenEtc.com video. But as far as I can tell, they're not collaborating. Cabana is collaborating with fashion house Iodice, which is doing limited edition t-shirts and bags.

But one brand has their own song and music video that not only indoctrinates you into the brand but it teaches you how to pronounce "Caipirinha" by saying it 6,000 times. Winner: Leblon. 

SWAG:

 

Sagatiba has this magnificent industrial grade muddler they give out to bartenders. It's like the Rolls Royce of muddlers, all black and shiny chrome. It is gorgeous. Cabana, on the other hand, has a rugged-looking dark wood, laser-etched muddler that's probably the best I own (since Sagatiba hasn't shared the good stuff with me). However! Leblon will give anybody a free muddler ($2.00 shipping and handling) here.

Free swag for everybody? The winner is Leblon.

BRAND EXTENSIONS:

Sagatiba already has an aged expression out. I doubt that's in the cards for either Leblon or Cabana, but you never know. Leblon was also talking about a Caipirinha mix a year ago but I haven't seen it. This round goes to Sagatiba.

WINNER:

Are you kidding? There is no winner! This is an ongoing battle. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the great battle we call CLASHACA!