Corona debuts first campaign from new agency GSD&M

Corona Extra has found its beach again. The Constellation Brands-owned beer, whose beach chairs have been occupied by celebrities for years, is debuting new advertising this week that focuses its attention on the beach itself. The work is the first for Corona from GSD&M, which won the account in a review last summer. “A big part of what we’re looking to do with the brand is to continue to build from its equities and what’s made it an icon. Core to that is the brand’s beach,” Rob Nelson, VP, brand marketing for Corona, said in an interview. “The beach is what we’re seeing as the celebrity here. We think it puts a stake in the ground for this brand—we’re getting it back to its core essence.” See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here The “La Playa Awaits” campaign comes as Corona calls on its sunny equity to outgrow a gloomy market for beer—including potential tariff woes for Mexican imports. Per Beer Marketer’s Insights, Corona Extra in 2024 was the sixth-largest U.S. beer brand, maintaining a 4.6% market share despite a 1.1% dip in all-channel volume—indicating Corona outperformed the market despite selling less than the year before. “It’s thriving despite some tough headwinds,” said Nelson, adding that customers still love the brand and prove it at retail, where Corona 12-pack bottles were the No. 2 U.S. beer package in 2024, according to Circana figures cited by the brand (the 12-pack of Modelo cans was No. 1). Potential tariffs placed on Mexican imports by President Donald Trump could complicate the plan for Constellation, which also imports the Modelo and Pacifico brands. Analyst Bill Kirk of MKM Roth estimated Constellation would need a 12% price increase to fully offset its cost of goods inflation under a 25% tariff scenario. But the tariff situation remains fluid, including if the taxes would apply to beer. Nelson said Constellation was in “assess and prep mode,” with an eye on managing short- and long-term impacts. “It’s really difficult,” he said. More beverage news: What’s next for dirty soda Mindset GSD&M proposed some work that included celebrities and some that did not. None of the actors in the new batch of Corona ads are famous—yet—which marks a departure from the brand’s recent work. “We’re not anti-celebrity in any way, shape or form,” Nelson said. “Ultimately, there was something special here; it’s stuff that really hit with us and brought us back to why we fell in love with this brand. It’s a pretty simplistic message with roots at the beach.” Celebrities had been a key part of the Corona’s advertising approach since 2020 when rapper Snoop Dogg introduced his brand of laid-back chill in a campaign known as “La Vida Más Fina.” Snoop appeared most often opposite comic Andy Samberg and former NFL star Eli Manning. Ads also included former basketball players Vince Carter, Christian Laettner and Sue Bird, baseball’s Francisco Lindor, actor Zoe Saldaña and musician Bad Bunny. Last year, actor Pedro Pascal starred in a new take on “La Vida Más Fina” meant to emphasize Corona’s Latin roots and multicultural appeal. These famous figures helped Corona connect into culture, Nelson said, but “we had some concern about allowing our equities to slip down from the forefront.” The new campaign, whose name translates to “the beach awaits” is meant to recall the pre-Snoop days of the “Find Your Beach” campaign. It literally connects Corona to the ocean, with a split screen showing the head of a beer alongside an overhead shot of waves at the shore. Another visual cue aligns a cliff diver hitting the ocean with a lime slashing into a bottle. But the new ads are also meant to show that the beach is a mindset, said Jay Russell, chief creative officer at GSD&M. “La Playa Awaits is an ode that brings the mindset to life, wherever you might be—on the beach, in a bar, meeting up with friends to watch a game—it’s about the feeling of real presence when distractions and daily chaos disappear.” That could be at the beach—or on an urban rooftop, the new ads suggest. Play ball Without revealing figures, Nelson said Corona would spend about the same amount on marketing as it did last year, when spending was up considerably from 2023. If warranted, Corona could get more ad support. The media mix is changing, with Corona diving deeper into baseball. Corona is the “official cerveza” of MLB. Spending on MLB will increase by 66%, Nelson said, beginning with Opening Day on March 27 with ads on ESPN and running across regional sports networks and MLB.com properties. The brand will “go deeper” with its MLB partnership this year, Nelson said, including custom content developed with MLB, and amplified presence during the All-Star Game and the postseason. “The optimism, the entry into springtime, and the refreshed mindset of opening day is very consistent with this brand,” Nelson said. “It’s not just signalizing that spring has started but there’s a renewed mindset that anything can happen. That’s a great time to launch this campaign.” Baseball is an appropriate platform for Corona in part due to its heavy Hispanic influence, Nelson said. And the brand “responded well” to the incremental marketing spend deployed around the World Series last year, according to Constellation CEO Bill Newlands. Beyond sports, Corona Extra is gearing up for integration with the HBO Max apocalyptic drama series “The Last of Us,” which premieres its second season April 13. “It seems a little crazy at the surface, but we’ve got a really cool integration we’re working on there,” Nelson said. Corona will also put an emphasis on social and streaming channels. Corona will also support associated brands this year. It will fine-tune the “Premier Side of Light” campaign for its high-end light beer, Corona Premier. Previous spots have focused that brand on the “light side” of active lifestyles. Constellation will also be supporting its Corona Sunbrew as it gets national distribution for the first time. Sunbrew is a flavored “citrus cerveza” aimed at young legal drinking-age customers.

Corona debuts first campaign from new agency GSD&M

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