Corona looks to ‘reaffirm beach ethos’ with music push

After being taken over by AB InBev in the UK earlier this year, Corona is looking to push its association with the beach no matter the location or weather through its global SunSets music festivals and events and a partnership with Spotify.

The second year of the global festival series hit the UK’s Weston-Super-Mare this weekend (11-12 July) after kicking off in Mexico in May and will travel to Italy, Spain, China and Australia throughout the summer.

The brand will also host more than 150 smaller SunSets events across over 20 markets through partnerships with bars across the UK to host exclusive music events and by having a presence at the likes of LoveBox and Boardmasters.

Steph Okell, marketing manager for Corona, told Marketing Week that the series is about pushing “the spirit of the beach”, something the brand has become well known for, on a global scale.

“Corona has such a strong association with the beach, but consumers understand that it’s not just about the physical place but about the ethos of the beach and being carefree,” she said.

“It actually doesn’t matter what the weather is like in the UK or what time of year it is, people still understand the relevance of Corona.”

She added that music is also a crucial part of the brand’s identity, something it is targeting through a partnership with Spotify in the UK.

The deal involves a digital marketing campaign through audio, display and video ads driving through to a Corona SunSets hub where users can enter their favourite tracks into a playlist for a chance to win tickets to the Ibiza event.

“We wanted to be able to communicate it in the right channels where people are listening to music and Spotify seemed like a really obvious partnership,” Okell said.

“It gives people the chance to explore what tracks are trending in different parts of the world, which really reflects the global nature of the campaign.”

Corona is also pushing its beach association through its “Find Your Beach” OOH campaign, as well as social and in-store activity, which has seen it bring real sand into some Tesco stores.

“It’s a real shift for the brand and a more through-the-line activation,” Okell said.

However, she said that as the first major push for the brand since it was aqcuired by AB InBev UK in January, SunSets will be the main focus.

“This is the first time we’ve had control of the brand to really use this global platform and that’s why I think Corona SunSets is so powerful for us,” she concluded.

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