Creating an unmissable moment

As the first spirits brand EVER integrated into the Oscars live broadcast, Don Julio took centre stage at the most prestigious awards show in the world. As a brand synonymous with celebration, we identified the ultimate toast moment and raised a glass of 1942 with Hollywood’s elite and 19.5M viewers at home.

By leveraging long-term partnerships and boundary-pushing ideation, we created an unmissable moment generating mass attention and awareness.

The campaign coupled this main stage moment with a week-long media blitz, sparking conversations and billions of earned impressions, and drove penetration through the launch of the ‘mini’ 50ml ‘1942’.

The challenge

The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, is the most renowned and widely watched awards show in the entertainment industry. It is a cultural phenomenon that attracts millions of viewers worldwide.

From the iconic red carpet to the prestigious parties, the star-studded Oscars celebrate the most creative and talented people in the entertainment industry on their biggest night.

For brands, the Oscars presents a unique opportunity to reach a highly engaged, affluent, and diverse audience. However, the event has strict regulations regarding advertising and brand integrations, especially for spirits, making it almost impossible for companies to secure a presence during the live broadcast.

Don Julio's achievement in becoming the first spirits brand to be integrated into the Oscars live broadcast is particularly significant. The brand's success in navigating the complex landscape of the Oscars, and securing a live in-show integration to authentically reach millions of viewers in the ultimate moment of celebration, is a testament to its strategic paid and earned media approach, and long-standing partnerships with the Academy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel and Oscar-nominated celebrities like Colman Domingo.

Background

Don Julio has been the #1 luxury tequila since 2012 and the Don Julio 1942 brand is widely synonymous with celebration. However, facing increased competition (114 new luxury tequila extensions launched in 4 years), the brand needed to break through in a crowded space to further drive recruitment and consideration in a category where penetration is 2/3 the size of whiskey, and repurchase rate is half as frequent.

With more people coming into the tequila category than ever before, the brand needed the right vehicle to entice new consumers to consider Don Julio 1942. The brand decided to launch a new small format (50-millilitre): a seven-inch-tall (18cm) bottle as a more accessible and approachable entry point to luxury tequila - and the ideal format for a celebratory toast!

Insights

More than for any other tequila, attention directly correlates with consideration for Don Julio: we set out to create an unmissable moment embodying leadership in luxury and celebration.

Luxury tequila drinkers are 60% more likely to watch award shows and 138% more likely to watch Jimmy Kimmel, making the Oscars a unique opportunity to put strategy into action by showing up in the most high-profile toast moment any brand could connect with – Hollywood’s biggest night.

Such stages can be crowded, so the brand would need to show up authentically. Not just within ads, but within the ceremony itself.

By leveraging partnerships cultivated over 13 years, we put 1942 on a global stage and cemented ourselves as an icon of celebration to Hollywood and 19.5M+ viewers.

Strategy

The Oscars provided an opportunity to showcase the brand as the pinnacle of celebration in front of millions of viewers, with Don Julio 1942 and its new small format raised in a toast at the most prestigious awards show… live on air.

An in-show integration created an ideal synergy between brand and experience only Don Julio could pull off, building on long-standing and deep-rooted partnerships with the Academy Awards, host Jimmy Kimmel and Oscar-nominated celebrities like Colman Domingo.

With trust in our partners to execute authentically, Don Julio handed the reigns over to Kimmel and his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, to surprise the audience with the ultimate toast moment featuring the new 1942 mini bottles. The now viral “¡salud!” toast would be witnessed by hundreds of millions of viewers.

Alongside the integration, we amplified the impact with a 360 approach: Don Julio would surround the Oscars across all key media channels.

Execution

Don Julio executed a masterclass in media integration with a live in-show moment witnessed by millions, where Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo Rodriguez surprised Best Actor nominee Colman Domingo with a Don Julio margarita. The elite 21+ audience members joined in on the toast, raising the new 1942 50-millilitre bottles, the ideal format for the history-making toast.

Don Julio amplified the momentum during the following break, premiering its Por Amor campaign via a 60-second brand film following a 5-second on-screen billboard.

On the red carpet, Guillermo toasted celebrities with Don Julio, generating buzz and content for the Jimmy Kimmel Live post-Oscars special.

The brand took over the most prestigious Oscar parties, including the official Academy Awards’ Governors Ball, Vanity Fair party, and Elton John AIDS Foundation event.

Out-of-home, press outreach, organic content distribution, search, influencer partnerships, and paid social ensured Don Julio surrounded the Oscars across all consumer touch-points.

Results

Don Julio's Oscars campaign generated massive impact, elevating the brand's position, and driving recruitment.

Within 48 hours, the brand generated an astonishing 4.5 billion earned media impressions.

The live in-show integration had an immediate impact, with site visits spiking by 1100% week-over-week.

Online, users expressed their love for the skit, declaring Don Julio the real winner of the star-studded night. On X, conversations around Don Julio increased 652% YoY and a 99.99% positive sentiment.

Attention quickly converted into new consideration for purchase, with the brand generating 17.5K leads at a CPL 751% above benchmarks during the pre-sale of the 50-millilitre bottle the following weekend.

The integration put the tequila centre-stage at the world's most glamorous event, reminding existing drinkers and new recruits how Don Julio can bring excitement to the most thrilling of celebrations.