Corona Celebrates Cinco de Mayo With New Marketing Campaign

The Joester Loria Group’s client Corona celebrated Cinco de Mayo with its biggest ever celebration last week in the form of a fully-integrated 360-degree marketing campaign. The “Lime Drop” campaign included national TV and digital advertising, social media, PR, events and retail programming.

To kick off the festivities, Corona partnered with actor Josh Duhamel to turn the Times Square New Year's Eve ball into a lime, which was dropped to create an exciting “Lime Drop” moment. In addition to this live event, Corona also executed a supporting “Lime Drop” social media campaign, which included a Snapchat lens. Additionally, Corona ran Cinco de Mayo TV spots leading up to the holiday in its biggest ever TV spend. Constellation Brands, the exclusive brewer, importer and marketer of Corona for the U.S. market, also rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Cinco de Mayo.

Corona is currently celebrating its 20th year as the the No. 1 imported beer in the US. According to a Fortune article about Corona’s latest marketing initiatives, “Corona sold 3.18 billion bottles of beer last year, which equals about 100 bottles of Corona Brands consumed every second in America.” Additionally, it’s the only top five beer brand that has gained market share in recent years.

Corona’s Cinco de Mayo marketing activations were covered by Elite Daily, ABC News, AOL and Just Jared among other outlets.

As the brand licensing agency for Corona, The Joester Loria Group has extended the brand into a variety of categories including apparel, beach accessories, glassware, bar accessories and homeware.  

JLG’s Cinco de Mayo Licensing Strategy

The latest edition of HomeWorld Business features an interview with JLG president Debra Joester on the growing importance of Cinco de Mayo as a retail opportunity that extends beyond the sale of beer and snacks. As the brand licensing agency for Corona, JLG has capitalized on the power of Cinco de Mayo to drive sales and kick off summer,  by developing a variety of products that include home and housewares brand extensions.

To fully understand the impact of Cinco de Mayo, Joester shared some compelling research including the fact that approximately 57% of Americans celebrate Cinco and that more beer is sold on May 5th than the Superbowl or St. Patrick’s Day. The International Home + Housewares Show was a great forum to kick of Cinco de Mayo 2018 for Corona licensees in homewares, glassware, coolers, serveware, and outdoor accessories.

Corona and Modelo Beers Lead Cinco de Mayo Marketing

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, The Joester Loria Group’s client, Constellation Brands is ramping up marketing efforts for their portfolio of beer brands including Corona Extra, # 1 imported beer, Corona Light, #1 imported light beer and Modelo Especial, #2 imported beer. 

While Cinco de Mayo is historically a Mexican holiday, the occasion has become one of most popular holidays in the U.S., celebrated equally by 57% of the general population and 55% percent of Hispanic consumers.  Many credit Corona Beer’s popular ad campaign launched in 1989, for making Cinco de Mayo mainstream in the U.S. market.  In recent years, the widespread appeal of the holiday has increasingly attracted the interest of retailers and restaurants nationwide.  Cinco de Mayo is not only the first fiesta of the year, it is the unofficial start of summer. 

Corona is synonymous with Cinco; it’s the #1 beer brand associated and consumed during the holiday and #1 import.   Corona was the #1 Growth Brand out of ALL Beer Brands during Cinco 2015.  More than a beer brand, Corona is an inclusive, social brand that brings people together and makes it easy to celebrate Cinco.

The Corona 2016 campaign, boosted with a significant investment in TV and digital media, social media support and advertising, is certain to drive top of mind awareness of the holiday and increase participation.

The celebration will extend to select bars and restaurants, which will feature festive promotional tools provided by Corona.

Modelo Especial, known for its rich Mexican heritage and distinctive taste, continues its bilingual TV and digital video campaign promoting the brand as the Authentic Choice for Cinco de Mayo Celebrations.  In 2016, the Modelo Master Brand is launching festive new merchandise and marketing, including promotions in stores, restaurants and bars, driving awareness and recruiting new drinkers into the Modelo franchise among experience seekers.

As the brand licensing agency for the Constellation Brands beer portfolio, The Joester Loria Group, has developed a broad collection of lifestyle brand extensions across key segments including fashion, accessories, footwear, beach gear, glassware, home décor, and giftware. Corona licensed products are consistent top sellers in over 15,000 retail doors.