Brewer skirts pandemic ban with low-alcohol beer /

Besting the competition / While in many countries around the world, the early days of the pandemic saw a run on toilet paper, in Mexico the declaration of beer brewing as a non-essential activity led to a nationwide beer drought. The ban on brewing created a thriving black market for beer and sent prices skyrocketing. By responding in lightning speed to the Mexican government’s Covid-19 rules, not with a campaign but a new product, Cerveza Victoria was able to outmanoeuvre its competition and end up as the only beer brand in the country with cans on supermarket shelves.

Uniting Mexicans / Mexicans are heavy beer drinkers, drinking on average 1.3 litres a week, which makes the country 30th in the world for beer consumption, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography. It’s no big surprise then that the government’s ban against beer brewing caused huge uproar in the country, especially as other sectors such as spirits or wines were not impacted. Memes with the hashtag ‘#ConLasChelasNo’ (ie, #Don'tMessWithMyBeer) sprung up in protest at the government’s actions.

Victoria Cerveza’s 1,8 didn’t just create a beverage for Mexicans to consume during the beer drought, it tapped into their anger and showed the brand’s solidarity with the Mexican people. In finding a clever legal loophole, the beer brand managed to obey the government’s rule but the messaging behind the campaign for its 1,8 brew showed that its allegiances lay firmly with ordinary Mexicans. The combination of the closed fist on the packaging and images of protesting Mexicans in the campaign video reinforce this defiant spirit. Moreover, the promise to donate proceeds from the low alcohol beer meant that the campaign was perceived as lending a helping hand for the Mexican people and economy, rather than being a more self-serving effort from a brand. Also, dating back to 1865, the Mexican brand has celebrated its heritage with various campaigns that honour local customs, such as the Day of the Dead, and Cerveza Victoria builds on its existing brand identity.  

Pandemic problems / At Contagious, we’ve covered smart ways that brands have circumvented government rules. For example, when Netflix in Thailand cut offensive images from its outdoor ads because of censorship laws or Poker beer in Colombia duplicating a street corner to allow people to legally drink outside. But Cerveza Victoria was in a tricky position here because it had to sidestep the government’s ban on beer production without diminishing efforts to protect the health of the Mexican people. The brand managed to balance these two things with the communications for Victoria 1,8 including an online video encouraging Mexicans to mask up ‘for our Mexico’. The importance of public health was further cemented by an early press statement from the brewing company Modelo, which proposed keeping 75% of its staff working from home as a way to keep safe while still guaranteeing its beer supply.