Brief

Patrón saw a great opportunity in the German market to build, the German consumer was not an educated tequila drinker and still viewed it as a slammer rather than a premium product to drink neat (hold the salt and lemon please) and as a cocktail. The problem was with the awareness and understanding of the sector with media, influencers and the wider spirit drinking consumer. Patrón also tasked Rubber with making the Patrón Paloma the drink of the summer in Germany.

Rubber identified key areas to focus on to build sector understanding and position Patrón as the informed voice. In order to create a point of difference and to build an ownable hook, Rubber created Feierabend von Patrón, which is a play on a German tradition, the ‘Feierabend bier’, the drink you have after work to ease into the evening. This approach built on a familiar idea but elevated it and made it something quotable. This would be a theme through our media comms and everything consumer facing.

The first route was a thorough targeted outreach to give media the real tequila story and the chance to taste the product and have a full immersion session. The second part was to engage opinion forming influencers and consumers by creating a one month pop-up experience and the third part was to build on the culture and heritage of Patrón, tequila and Mexico.

Media Engagement
– Seeding and Education Launch

Working the extensive consumer and trade media contacts Rubber has in Germany, we were able to set up a series of briefing moments which allowed media to get a first hand insight to the brand, the variants and the rich history of Patrón. In Hamburg we hosted an intimate tasting session hosted by Patrón brand ambassadors, giving a deep dive in a chance to taste all of the range plus a few cocktails. For the important Munich media set, we arranged one to one briefings in their city and gifted them a bottle of their choice.

Feierabend von Patrón
– Pop-up in St. Pauli Hamburg

Rubber curated a four week pop-up space in the cool St. Pauli district of Hamburg, giving us a space to invite media to briefings, influencers to host their own networks and consumers to sample drinks and cultural moments. Each night was a different take on Feierabend von Patrón.

Rubber had 20 media and influencers attend on a sunny May evening to try the three different variants as a part of a food pairings session.

Another night saw local artists HNRX and Jan Koke join to repaint the shop front and graf the iconic bottles live whilst DJs played and guests could sample a Patrón Paloma.

To tap into the Hamburg tastemakers, local influencer and woman about town Sarah Radowitz aka Scalamari hosted her own party and invited friends to enjoy the drinks and eat at our taco truck.

The final night saw Berghain DJ Mor Elian play a 4 hour set as guests were invited to sample Patrón Palomas, eat from our specially curated menu and dance in the summer sun.

Dia De Muertos
– Berlin Mini Museum

Mexico is a nation of rich heritage and tradition and the most sacred of all is Dia De Muertos, something which features vibrant colours, foods, drinks and celebrations across the country. But in Germany, mostly people misunderstand it.

Rubber’s aim was to start the conversation and give Berliners the chance to join the celebration themselves. Rubber collaborated with Mexican born Berlin artist Bianca Monroy to build the visual identity of the event. Monroy handprinted four skulls to represent the key elements of earth, wind, fire and water to be displayed in the event space on Torstrasse. Monroy also created an authentic Dia alter in the space as a centre piece.

Rubber engaged with the Mexican embassy to source exclusive never shown before photography from their archive. The event featured Mexican DJ Osios playing tunes and local Mexican food joint created three special tacos for the event. The space was open to the public for viewing in the day time and in the evening was. Space for Patrón to host key customers.

El Cielo – NPD

An additional push for the year was in the shape of the limited availability new product launch of El Cielo, the uber premium bottle which had a major BTT focus. Rubber hosted selected one to one briefings and seeded product to key trade and consumer media to drive awareness. Coverage secured in all key trade titles as well as GQ, Esquire & Playboy, key titles for the brand.