Dive Brief:

• Constellation Brands' Corona beer label has tapped rap icon Snoop Dogg for its "La Vida Más Fina" campaign, the first marketing effort that looks to unify the entire portfolio of Corona beverages, the company revealed in a press release.
• Launching on Corona's social media channels, the fully integrated marketing campaign also includes digital ads, a dedicated Giphy library and 15- and 30-second TV spots that will run during the NBA playoffs.
• The full rollout will include a number of celebrities representing "a diverse set of perspectives," per the release. Creative agency MullenLowe LA, which signed on with Constellation Brands in March 2019, helped develop the effort.

Dive Insight:

Corona has had a tricky year on the marketing front given that its brand name closely resembles that of the deadly virus that has kept many parts of the world shut down for months at a time. Previous marketing efforts that promoted the beverage maker's new Corona Hard Seltzer with the tagline "Coming Ashore Soon" faced backlash at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic.  

At the time, the company said its consumers understood there wasn't a link between the novel coronavirus and its business, but some still complained that the brand was exploiting the health crisis. The new campaign nods to pandemic-related realities but pivots to a more positive message, which could resonate among people facing a surfeit of gloomy news. 

"La Vida Más Fina" — which the company translates as "the Fine Life" — is a spin on the message on every bottle of Corona: "La Cerveza Más Fina," or "the Finest Beer." The campaign was in the works earlier this year before the pandemic hit, but was transformed in response to global events, according to the press release. The effort continues the work of introducing the label's new line of hard seltzer, while paying homage to Classic corona offerings.

To celebrate the finer things, the brand is working with Snoop Dogg, who has risen to become a prolific spokesperson. The rapper, who also appeared in a Dunkin' campaign earlier this year, embraced his role as brand ambassador around the turn of the millennium and helped to open a lane for artists to work with brands.

"You can't choose everything in life, but you can still choose to find the fine in life," Snoop Dogg said in a press statement. "And with everything going on in the world, that's a perspective people really might need to hear right now."

The inclusion of TV spots during the NBA playoffs comes as professional sports are ramping up again, providing another welcome diversion from the pandemic. Meanwhile, the social aspects of the campaign, including the Giphy library, could help Corona reach younger consumers who might not be watching sports on TV. 

Along with some PR headaches stemming from the coronavirus, Corona's production came to a halt in April when the Mexican government shut down the country in a move to slow the virus' spread. Still, at-home beer sales increased during lockdowns as consumers focused on stocking their fridges. Constellation Brands reported that sales of Corona are up by more than 17% since March 2020.