Cinco de Mayo is one of the biggest holidays of the year for food and alcohol brands, and brands are running campaigns to encourage consumers to celebrate.
Jose Cuervo is running a campaign called “Tipsy for Cinco” that builds on last year’s Cinco de Mayo campaign “Cinco To Go,” and effort that encouraged ordering food from independent Mexican restaurants during the pandemic. This year, Jose Cuervo is taking it up a notch by encouraging fans to generously tip their delivery drivers. Consumers that give more than 20% will win the chance to have Jose Cuervo pickup their tab.
“Cinco De Mayo is all about festive food and drink,” said David Horowitz, Partner & Executive Creative Director at Mekanism, the agency behind the campaign. “It’s the perfect time for Cuervo to show appreciation for the delivery drivers who make celebrating at home possible. By rewarding consumers for tipping generously, Cuervo hopes to encourage everyone to share the festive spirit of Cinco De Mayo all month long.
Tostitos has partnered with Danny Trejo to create Tostitos5WaystoCinco.com, a portal with recipes, drink suggestions and a sweepstakes with various prizes, including the chance to meet the actor. The Frito-Lay brand has also introduced a new limited-edition chip: Tostitos Sweet Lime and Sea Salt.
“Tostitos has long been a brand rooted in bringing people together – be it virtually or in-person – making Danny Trejo the perfect partner as he has brought millions of people together as a beloved actor and restaurateur,” said Anya Schmidt, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to team up with him for our Five Ways to Cinco campaign to inspire those special moments of togetherness for our fans and their loved ones, as they may plan to gather in small groups on this festive holiday.”
Heineken beer brand Dos Equis sells around 30% of its product around Cinco de Mayo and so is gearing up to target consumers no matter how they celebrate.
”Our strategy as we lead into Cinco, which is obviously a big beer consumption occasion for us, especially Mexican beer, is really to enable people to purchase beer no matter how they celebrate,” said Alison Payne, Vice President Marketing Mexican Beer Portfolio at The Heineken Company. “We know that some states are fully open and the bars will be busy but we also know that a lot of people celebrate at home through socially distanced gatherings.”
During the pandemic, the company saw a 60% increase in e-commerce for beer purchases and has been using the date from these sales to identify when and where to run campaigns based on which retailers and regions are seeing alcohol purchases.
The majority of alcohol purchases during St. Patrick’s Day came from four retailers: Drizly (21%), Target (14%), Instacart (12%) and Walmart Grocery (10%), per MikMak, Dos Equis’ tech partner.
“Dos Equis in real time can see the ecommerce customer journey across every major media channel down to the moment of purchase, which allows them where to invest their media dollars best,” said Rachel Tipograph, founder & CEO of MikMak.
AB InBev beer brand Corona is running the #CincoForGood campaign, an initiative designed to support the long-term recovery of the restaurant industry. The brand is donating $1 million to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation as part of the effort.
The effort calls on people to order Mexican food from local eateries and stars chefs Rick Martinez and Sohla El-Waylly who will also be ordering in during an Instagram Live event.
“As the beer synonymous with Cinco de Mayo, we want to inspire consumers to celebrate the holiday how they traditionally would — with a Corona and delicious food — while supporting their favorite local restaurants,” said Ann Legan, vice president of brand marketing at Corona, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to provide a livestream opportunity with a Corona twist, where fans can engage with notable chefs and enjoy time with friends while helping rebuild this essential community via the NRAEF.”
Now that vaccines are widely distributed, casual restaurant chains are hoping to lure customers into restaurants. BJ’s Restaurant & BrewhouseÒ has launched a new Margarita Flight featuring a Handcrafted Margarita, Lemon Berry Margarita, Twisted Pineapple Margarita, and Fresh Strawberry Rita. Chili’s is hosting a scavenger hunt in five cities –Atlanta, Las Vegas, Nashville, Tampa and San Antonio. The brand will hide five piñatas filled with a $500 Chili’s gift card and exclusive brand merch in each city. Fans are encouraged to follow the brand’s Instagram or Twitter page for clues.
“After more than a year of virtual meetings, events, happy hours and gatherings — and with COVID-19 restrictions lifting — we wanted to create an activity that encourages our Guests to safely get outside and enjoy Cinco de Mayo,” said Michael Breed, vice president of marketing at Chili’s. “With immersive events and activities re-emerging, we knew we had an opportunity to do something fun, and we’re ready and excited to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with our guests.”
