Tecate's First National Campaign Taps Into a Growing Market: Bilingual Hispanics

Tecate Light has been doing quite well lately despite only advertising on a regional level. The lager is currently brewed by Mexican Heineken subsidiary Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, but it has quietly become the fastest-growing light beer in the United States on the strength of brand loyalty among bilingual Hispanics. This week Tecate launches its first-ever national campaign "Born Bold" in an effort to further "amplify modern masculinity" with the help of its signature black eagle and two famously tenacious Hispanic athletes: Mexican boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez and soccer referee Felipe Ramos Rizo. In the first spot, Alvarez reminds viewers that he is always bold but never flashy before his headlining May 7 fight against Amir Khan in Las Vegas. Brand director Belen Pamukoff explained the company's strategy to Adweek, "Our drinkers are bicultural: second or third-generation Mexicans who are also Americans who live between those two worlds but don't go far from their roots. Together with Saatchi & Saatchi, we started going deeper inside the bicultural consumer." The approach worked, and Tecate closed 2015 with sales up 46 percent. Pamukoff said, "Our evolution for 2016 is, what else can we tell our consumer that is very relevant for them? Boxing and soccer were two passion points." The brand doubled its investment in digital and social marketing, leveraged its opportunities for sponsorships with Alvarez ahead of two major bouts and planned its first national campaign. In the second spot, veteran referee Ramos has very little patience for one player's attempt to draw a foul call against his opponent. Jay Benjamin, chief creative officer at Tecate's agency of record Saatchi & Saatchi New York, said, "This spot translates beyond our target audience because nobody likes the player who overacts or flops on the field. We see that everywhere in American sports." This spot again represents Tecate's efforts to gradually expand its audience. "This bicultural audience is one of the most culturally influential in America," Benjamin said. "They're not just Mexican, they're Mexican-American—and they're fluid in that duality. We learned in research that they view this as a plus-one advantage." "The primary target is still the Hispanic consumer," said Pamukoff. "But as a secondary target, we have the general market." In addition to the ads above and various retail executions to come, the company also turned to global agency Elmwood to redesign its packaging with the goal of "amplifying modern masculinity." Following the Khan fight in May, Tecate will also have a heavy presence at Canelo's fight in September. His opponent has yet to be named. CREDITS Client: Tecate Light Campaign Title: "Born Bold" Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New York Chief Creative Officer: Jay Benjamin Creative Director: Iain Neville Creative Director: Johnnie Ingram Art Director: Ryan Gifford Copywriter: Devin McGillivary Head of Film: John Doris Senior Producer: Tina Lam Producer: Frances Edwards Group Account Director: Parker Barnum Management Supervisor: Jamie Daigle Account Executive: Stacey Skulnik Planning Director: Federico Evangelista Production company: Hungry Man Director: Dave Laden DP: Corey Walter Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne Producer: Caleb Dewart Service company: Tonic Films Executive Producer: Susie Neill Editorial: Cosmo Street Editorial Editor: Aaron Langley Executive Producer: Maura Woodward Senior Producer: Luiza Naritomi Assistant Editor: Josh Berger Finishing House: Switch FX Audio: Butter + Mr Bronx Mixer/Sound Designer: Eric Hoffman Producer: Claudia Gaspar Music: Butter Managing Director/Executive Producer: Ian Jeffreys Producer: Ryan Faucett Color: Company 3 Colorist: Tom Poole Producer: Clare Movshon Visual Effects: Method Studios SVP Business Development: Stuart Robinson Executive Producer: Angela Lupo Producer: Heather Saunders VFX Supervisor: Doug Luka CG Supervisor: Ivan Guerrero Compositing Supervisor: Ryan Leonard Animation Supervisor: Matthew Hackett Lead Rigger: Joon Lee Lead FX TD: Tomas Slancik Lead Lighting/Shading: Yuri Serizawa Modeling/Tracking Lead: Brian Dinoto Production TD: Matt Kushner Massive TD: Rick Walia Texturing: Sari Rodrig, Lauren Kushner Animators: Matt Hackett, Joon Lee, Paul Wei, Rob Dollase, Sean Curran FX Artists: Tomas Slancik, Matt Kushner, Zach Lewis, Vraja Para Lighting: Yuri Serizawa, Ben Jones, Jon Parker, Vraja Para, Zach Lewis, Lucy Choi Compositing: Ryan Leonard, Robert "Nick" Dauphinais, Chad Herrada, John Mangia, Aaron Baker Storyboard artist: Tyler Gibb

Brand Marketing

Tecate's First National Campaign Taps Into a Growing Market: Bilingual Hispanics

Thriving lager seeks to 'amplify modern masculinity'

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