Branding That Empowers The Fighting Spirit of the Latinx Community

The COVID-19 Pandemic put an abrupt halt to the sports industry—with rippling consequences affecting all professional sports leagues, athletes, brands, advertisers, sponsors, and all sports fans alike. However, now that life has returned to a somewhat “normal” state, the professional sports industry is officially back in business. Fans are finally able to revel in the joy of live sports once again.

Consequently, brands and advertisers must aggressively campaign to make up for lost air-time during the pandemic. The importance of increasing creative advertising efforts to connect with new segments of sports fans and reach a more diversified set of audiences and cultures has never been more paramount, spawning a competitive advertising frenzy like never before. Those brands who have done it successfully have utilized strategies such as endorsements with minority figures, which have formulated authentic connections through shared passions and cultural resonance within their respective audiences. 

In particular, one brand that has continued to strive throughout these challenging times is one of Constellation Brands signature beverages—Modelo Especial. Embedded in Mexican culture dating back to 1925, “Modelo Especial is a beer born with the Fighting Spirit.” 

Modelo launched the “Fighting Spirit” campaign in 2018, at a time where the beer category was on a decline, and competition within Mexican import beverages was fierce. Faced with this challenge, Modelo needed to adapt its advertising strategy to not only simply maintain its predominantly Latino core consumers, but also appeal to a more diversified and inclusive market of beer drinkers. The solution? Secure exclusive partnerships within the professional sports industry, produce captivating storytelling ads that emphasize equal representation and cultural inclusion, and endorse minority groups that have used the “Fighting Spirit” to catalyze hardships into success.

In 2018, Modelo became the official beer of the UFC, which marked an end to the decade-long partnership the promotion had held with Anheuser Busch. You might be wondering, what exactly is the “Fighting Spirit,” and what are the synergies between Modelo and the UFC? 

In short, the partnership unites the passionate fans of the UFC, one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with Modelo, the leading growth driver of the beer industry over the last five years and the fastest-growing import. Furthermore, the partnership enables Modelo to capitalize on increased exposure to sports audiences, benefitting from the UFC’s exclusive television deal with ESPN.

As Modelo’s Vice President of Brand Marketing, Greg Gallagher, describes, “This partnership is a seamless fit because [Modelo and the UFC] share values around hard work, perseverance, resilient attitude, and celebration—all which is part of [Modelo’s] ‘Fighting Spirit’ mantra.”

Tricia Betron, Vice President of Disney Ad Sales, further elaborates, “[Modelo is] an up-and-coming brand that crosses many different audiences, it crosses ethnicities…certain segments…it’s a challenger brand in many ways that’s becoming more and more successful. It’s nice to have new brands, different brands, step up in what is a very competitive category.”

Since the launch of the “Fighting Spirit” campaign, Modelo’s advertisements continue to highlight exceptional individuals through authentic storytelling, honoring heroes from all walks of life who have overcome diverse obstacles to achieve success—the definition of the “Fighting Spirit.”

Staying true to the brand’s Mexican roots, these commercials have done an incredible job of celebrating the inspiring stories of individuals from both the LatinX and LGBTQ+ communities, including: Mark “Mister Cartoon” Machado, Brian Ortega, Philly “BarberKing” Garcia, DJ Citizen Jane, Anthony Muñoz, Tony Gonzalez, Roberto Garza, Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, Olga E. Custodio, and many others. 

Overall, the performance of  Modelo’s “Fighting Spirit” campaign has been a success, earning a Bronze Effie award in the beverages-alcohol category in 2019. Moreover, the campaign helped the brand rise in the ratings from the number 8 ranked beer brand (2018), to the number 6 ranked beer brand (2021) in the United States—with gross sales of $3,365M sales in 2021. 

As Modelo’s “Fighting Spirit” brand strategy demonstrates, consumers’ choice is no longer merely about the product; but more importantly, the core values of a brand are increasingly proving to be the key drivers of consumers’ purchasing power. In today’s world, advertising campaigns must continue to create new connections with consumers through personal storytelling that is inclusive and resonates with all demographics, including minority groups and underprivileged communities. Such strategies are essential in order to truly achieve high revenue growth, create brand loyalty and capture the attention of global audiences. 

By: Justin Shabahang