Industry Innovators 2022: Corona

"Industry Innovators 2022: 10 Brands Shaping the Future of Event Marketing" is sponsored by Hubilo, a leading virtual and hybrid event platform built to drive engagement, with clients including Deloitte, Coca-Cola, Amazon Web Services and more.

The Basics: When your brand name shares the same name as a global pandemic, marketing can be tricky. But Corona was able to not only survive but thrive during this challenging time with clever mobile activations.

The Corona portfolio, which is imported and marketed to the U.S. by Constellation Brands (Anheuser-Busch InBev markets the beer outside of the U.S.), includes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Familiar, Corona Premier, Corona Refresca and Corona Hard Seltzer. To introduce its newest product during seltzer season, Corona Hard Seltzer Limonada, the brand created a voice-activated, age-gated vending machine that invited consumers on the Las Vegas Strip to try Limonada—if they were able to order it in Spanish. When consumers ordered correctly, the device unlocked a sample. Those who got it wrong received a free subscription to Duolingo Plus to practice their español.

For the launch of Corona Hard Seltzer Limonada, which is inspired by Mexican Limonada recipes, the brand partnered with language-learning platform Duolingo to offer fans a fun way to learn Spanish on the Las Vegas Strip.Photo: Courtesy of MullenLoweMost Innovative Event: Following the success of the Corona Gameday Football Container Tour, a mobile tailgate experience, the brand decided to bring a similar activation to basketball fans in February 2021. “Based on the overwhelmingly positive consumer response and sentiment toward the football program, it was apparent that we had something that fans were hungry for, so we decided to launch the first Corona basketball ‘Tip-Off’ experience tour in the great state of Indiana, in partnership with the Indiana Pacers to further elevate the experience in a whole new way,” explained Rene Ramos, vice president of lifestyle and experiential activations at Constellation Brands.

The program featured a shipping container filled with everything needed to amplify one’s at-home viewing experience with a variety of swag and prizes including a big-screen TV, a wireless surround sound system, a branded lounge chair, sneaker storage trunk and a personalized message from Indiana Pacer Myles Turner.

Corona's "Tip-Off" experience tour featured a shipping container filled with a variety of swag and prizes including a big-screen TV, a wireless surround sound system, a branded lounge chair, sneaker storage trunk and a personalized message from Indiana Pacer Myles Turner.Photo: Courtesy of Constellation BrandsEvent Philosophy: “We aim to meet the consumers where they are—whether in-person, virtual or more likely these days, a hybrid model. It is a ‘must-have’ that we add value to the consumer in a meaningful way at each brand touchpoint and offer an experience that is set apart from that of other brands. In order to achieve this balance, we must offer the consumer an experience they wouldn’t typically be able to get in any other way,” Ramos said. “It’s key that any Corona activation provides a consumer benefit that is true to our brand—special access or a transformative or elevated experience—that brings a refreshed perspective and helps consumers live La Vida Mas Fina.”

What’s Next: “While we’ve seen the return of live events and brand experiences in certain capacities, safety is still top priority for all consumers who engage with our brand. The next phase of brand experiences will have to focus on both in-person and virtual ways for consumers to interact,” Ramos said. “We will have to remain nimble and demonstrate how we show up to satisfy consumer desires. While no one knows for sure what the future holds, we will continue to be prepared to pivot to a full range of outcomes—cancellations, fully virtual/no fans, hybrid and 100%-capacity events. Of course, much of this is dependent on region and local restrictions, so we’ll need to take everything on a case-by-case basis.”

“Based on the overwhelmingly positive consumer response and sentiment toward the football program, it was apparent that we had something that fans were hungry for, so we decided to launch the first Corona basketball ‘Tip-Off’ experience tour in the great state of Indiana, in partnership with the Indiana Pacers to further elevate the experience in a whole new way,” explained Rene Ramos, vice president of lifestyle and experiential activations at Constellation Brands.Photo: Courtesy of Constellation Brands

The celebratory container for the Corona Gameday Football Container Tour was retrofitted with a sidewall that could be electronically raised to reveal all the prizes.Photo: Courtesy of Constellation Brands