2024 Crocodile Awards
Best Food & Beverage Campaign

The primary challenge was to introduce Jose Cuervo’s Sparkling Margarita as a top choice for Generation Z, aiming to shift preferences from white spirits to tequila. Our insight revealed that our target audience, heavily involved in the dating scene, often socialised over drinks before, during and after dates. The objective was to carve out a niche in the highly competitive spirits market by associating the brand with dating moments. Our strategic partnership began with a comprehensive research workshop with Jose Cuervo, understanding the lifestyle and media consumption of our demographic, leading to the insight that dating apps were a goldmine for engagement yet untapped by competitors in an impactful way.

THE STRATEGY

Our strategy and insights came from an in-depth study of Generation Z’s dating habits and their interactions with beverages during social occasions. We found a significant gap in the white spirits market: no brand had positioned itself within the dating narrative to “own dating”. Our strategy was to position Jose Cuervo’s Sparkling Margarita as the go-to drink for dating scenarios, focused on media placements where our audience was most active, particularly before and after dates.

This approach was based on our unique insight that our target demographic frequented dating apps and often consumed drinks in social settings linked to dating. By aligning our media spend with these insights, we aimed to capture the attention of our audience at the most opportune moments, establishing Jose Cuervo as synonymous with dating and socialising. We incorporated quirky dating colloquialisms in our messaging, which resonated on dating apps and achieved cut through in a cluttered market.

AUDIENCE TARGETING

The strategy was brought to life through a comprehensive media campaign spanning six months, utilising platforms like ARN, Spotify, Meta, Tinder, and Snapchat, tailored to where our audience’s attention was concentrated. Our creative assets, produced in-house, reinforced the connection between Jose Cuervo and dating moments, from pre-date anticipation through to post-date reflection. By strategically placing our content on dating apps and related media channels, we tapped into the social rituals of our target demographic. The campaign’s creative direction highlighted the Sparkling Margarita’s role in enhancing these social experiences, making it the beverage of choice for young, social consumers. We ensured that each touchpoint along the customer journey – from awareness to conversion – was infused with the campaign’s core message, leveraging audio and video assets for maximum impact and engagement.

THE RESULTS

The campaign exceeded expectations, impacting the brand’s market position significantly. Specifically, 9 out of 14 channels surpassed our KPIs, with notable successes on Spotify, ARN, and Meta, where results were 50-75% more efficient than our target costs. This translated into a significant uplift in brand awareness and consideration among our target audience, ultimately driving a notable 179% increase in sales.

The effectiveness of our strategy was evident as we successfully achieved a historic level of male engagement on dating platforms, a direct result of our highly targeted approach. This has led to dating becoming a central theme in Jose Cuervo’s global marketing strategy, influencing broader business decisions and negotiations globally with Tinder. Additionally, the campaign’s success was recognised with a nomination for The Webby Awards in the Best Growth Strategy category, marking us as the only Australian agency to achieve this in the category. Our results demonstrate a clear and measurable impact on Jose Cuervo’s business, confirming the effectiveness of our targeted media strategy and creative execution.

Thank you…