Don Julio goes back to its roots in cinematic ads honoring founder

Dive Brief:

Tequila brand Don Julio is looking to its roots in a new advertising campaign honoring its founder, Don Julio González, per information shared with Marketing Dive.
The campaign, titled “Por Amor,” launches first in the U.S. across social media, over-the-top and out-of-home channels before going global. It was filmed in Mexico City and Jalisco, Mexico, where Tequila Don Julio’s La Primavera distillery is located.
While nodding to the brand’s legacy, the campaign also comes at a time when tequila is surging in popularity in the U.S. as consumers continue to purchase premium alcohol despite inflationary concerns.

Dive Insight:

Don Julio, acquired by Diageo in 2015, has released a new campaign paying tribute to the legacy of its late founder, Don Julio González. The effort was created with agency Anomaly New York and features cinematic video shorts that showcase different stages of the Don Julio experience, from harvesting the agave to consuming the drink.

The global push is intended to highlight the passion and love that goes into Don Julio production, and how it is meant to be shared with those closest to you. It comes as tequila is poised to overtake vodka as the most popular liquor in the U.S. in the next couple years.

Compared to 2020, the sale of agave-based spirits such as tequila and mezcal grew 30.1% in 2021, taking the market to $5.1 billion, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. It was the second-fastest growing spirits category in 2021, falling behind premixed cocktails.

Don Julio is riding the wave of booming tequila popularity. The brand saw 36% organic growth in tequila sales, according to Diageo’s 2022 annual report. Considered a premium product at its price point, Don Julio has benefited from the shift toward premium alcohol consumption that first started to emerge during the pandemic.

This isn’t the first time the brand has played up an emotional angle in its marketing. The recent push follows a 2021 Cinco de Mayo campaign that was intended to aid restaurant workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2020 campaign, the spirit brand again celebrated its founder as well as additional team members.