Beam Suntory is seizing on new demand for ready-to-drink cocktails by pouring more marketing money behind its OTR brand, which stands for On the Rocks.

The brand, acquired by the liquor marketer in 2020, is launching its first campaign in two years. Ads from Highdive feature a new character called OTR Otter, a magical bartender.

The first spot, “Taco Night,” promotes the brand’s OTR Margarita beverage. In the ad, OTR Otter helps a couple elevate their taco night by preparing margaritas and an elaborate array of food.

“The brand is tapping into consumer desire to carve out moments to treat themselves and OTR’s time and attention is into crafting the very best cocktails because we know that those moments, whether they're big or small, are really coveted,” said Heather Boyd, managing director of RTDs at Beam Suntory.

On the Rocks, founded in 2015, was acquired in 2020 by Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Japanese beverage company Suntory. This spring, the ready-to-drink cocktail brand began working with Highdive.

“We provided the scale necessary to fuel the momentum on On the Rocks and to really take it nationally and to rapidly grow it,” said Boyd. “Now the brand is at a point where it's time for its national debut and we’re so thrilled to be able to bring it to market and to dramatize the DNA of the brand.”

Joffrey Jans of production company Tool, who has previously worked with Jagermeister on its “Be the Meister” ad campaign, directed the spot.

The national campaign includes ad buys on YouTube, social, e-commerce sites, search, out-of-home and print. Ads will begin this month and continue throughout the remainder of the year.

The RTD beverage category exploded this year, with the introduction of products such as canned Jack & Coke and Heineken’s Dos Equis Margarita. Sales of existing canned cocktails have also risen this past year.

OTR sales doubled during the first half of 2022, while the company grew overall sales by 13% in North America, Beam Suntory reported in August.