Dive Brief:

• Tequila brand Jose Cuervo Tradicional announced this week a new film series that spotlights the Mexican holiday of Día De Muertos, or Day of the Dead, according to information provided to Marketing Dive.
• The brand will partner annually with Mexican filmmakers to capture regional celebrations of the holiday. Cuervo has not said how many years it intends to support these original films, although it will continue at least through next year. The first documentary, a five-minute film called "Día De Muertos: Lake Pátzcuaro" by emerging filmmakers Mónica Álvarez and Paola Villaneuva, offers four short stories about how that town prepares for the holiday.
• The film is available on the Cuervo site, as well as on YouTube. The brand is also releasing two limited edition Día​ De Muertos bottles which will be available at select stores. Both feature a traditional design with brightly colored skulls.

Dive Insight:

As a 250-year-old family company, Cuervo's aim with its new film series is to ally itself with the culture of its country of origin by depicting Día​ De Muertos festivities in the town of Lake Pátzcuaro. Day of the Dead celebrations can be found in major cities across North America and Europe, with a number of brands, like Patron tequila and Smirnoff vodka, positioning their marketing to address consumer interest in these events.

Cuervo is the latest brand to back video programming to counter the aversion that many consumers feel to traditional advertising, while positioning the company as one interested in cultural values and authentic communication. Like many other marketers these days, Cuervo is also hoping to gain the attention of those interested in quality filmmaking and will screen the its Día​ De Muertos documentary this month at the San Diego International Film Festival and the Morelia International Film Festival.

"As the tequila industry booms in the U.S., we want to share the authentic celebrations and holidays which tequila is always part of, and connect this popular spirit to its country of origin and the many different heritages that it represents," said Lander Otegui, SVP of marketing at Proximo Spirits, in a press release.

In a similar effort to support quality digital video entertainment, Campari's Wild Turkey bourbon announced its collaboration with digital media company Complex Networks on two new social video series that star actor Matthew McConaughey and focus on trailblazers who helped shape cultural movements. One series is an online talk show hosted by McConaughey, and the other is a long-form documentary series about the guests who appear on the talk show.

Similarly, Procter & Gamble last month released with National Geographic the first hour-long episode of "Activate: The Global Citizen Movement," a series that addresses world issues like girls' education, clean water, racial bias, criminal justice reform, disaster relief, ocean plastics and responsible sourcing.