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