Corona is shifting its strategy to focus on Black and Latinx women in a campaign for its flavored malt beverage line Refresca.
The “Let Flavor Reign” campaign, by multicultural agency Walton Isaacson, includes ads showing the brand’s crown symbol placed on the heads of BIPOC women. A voiceover says, “Here’s to you, queen,” as the camera pans on a crowned woman holding a can of Refresca, then concludes, “You are seen.”
Refresca—whose flavors include coconut lime, guava lime and passionfruit lime—was initially framed as a brand targeting 25-to-29-year-old female drinkers when it hit shelves in 2019, with marketing originally handled by WPP’s Cavalry. Corona sharpened the focus with the new campaign after realizing it was not doing enough to reach Latinx and Black consumers, which make up a large part of the flavored malt beverage category, said Refresca Brand Manager Mauricio Ramirez.
Corona, a Mexican import owned by Constellation Brands, hired the minority-owned and led Walton Isaacson as Refresca’s agency of record in March. The campaign was created by a female-led team. Corona’s lead creative agency of record is MullenLowe LA.
The campaign aims to show that minority communities are “not a monolith” and provide ads that embrace “cultural nuances,” said Alima Trapp, Walton Isaacson’s executive VP of brand strategy. She added that the campaign comes after the pandemic prompted Black and Latinx women to “rethink their value and their worth. ”
Ads will hit online and social media channels first, along with Spanish language TV. Experiential marketing includes a presence at Chicago’s Sueños Latin music festival at the end of May.
Refresca’s production was paused in 2020, before returning in early 2021 with the addition of Corona Refresca Más, a higher calorie mango-flavored malt.
Flavored alcoholic beverages grew in volume by 5.3% in the U.S. in 2020, according to the latest IWSR drinks market analysis. IWSR forecasts growth of more than 20% from 2021 to 2025.
Read the article on Ad Age HERE.