Inside Diageo and director Tanu Muiño’s lush, whimsical intro spot for Tequila Don Julio Rosado

Diageo sees the world through rose-colored glasses in a fun, quirky and visually lush introductory spot for new Don Julio Rosado tequila, crafted by the community and celebrated Ukrainian director Tanu Muiño. The two-minute dreamscape kicks off with a redheaded woman in roller skates pressing a button that causes a giant circular platform filled with bottles of the new liquor to rise from the middle of a bar. This sets in motion a series of delightfully fantastical events, where she plays pool with tiny disco balls (that shatter into lemon wedges), lounges poolside (and catches ice chips from a sculptor chiseling an ice sculpture of the Don Julio logo), gets pulled along for a ride by a giant crystal puma, and much more. It’s all set to a Boney M.’s 1976 version of the song “Sunny,” with Connor Price rapping a verse on top toward the end. Filmed in Mexico and featuring a diverse cast of talent from backgrounds spanning Latin America, Africa, Asia and North America, the film creates a world where “modern disco meets Mexican luxury,” the brand says. It’s also about taking the most extravagant night out and bringing it to life in the daytime. “We started noticing a shift in consumption behavior toward the daytime, so we wanted to create an option for adults to enjoy during these high-tempo occasions that are growing in popularity,” Christina Choi, SVP of tequila at Diageo North America, told Ad Age. “What we saw with Tequila Don Julio 1942 is that it’s a quality, luxury spirit that people not only enjoy drinking—1942 is the No. 1 luxury spirit brand variant by retail sales value in the U.S.—but has also become synonymous with nightlife celebrations. As we introduce Tequila Don Julio Rosado, we are excited to bring the same high-energy vibes now to daytime occasions, whether sipping poolside with friends or celebrating at a beach club.” “This commercial is meant to reflect people’s drinking habits in 2023 and how it’s refreshing and fun,” added Muiño, the director. “At its core, this spot is about celebrating the day, showing that magical moments can also happen when the sun is out.” Muiño made her name in music videos—she collaborated with the Ukrainian singer Monatik for years, and has since directed videos for superstars such as Harry Styles (“As It Was”), Cardi B (“Up”) and Lil Nas X (“Monteiro”). Her remarkable visual panache is on clear display here, as she worked to bring the community’s detailed vision to life. “Almost all my projects involve world-building, and I immediately saw their vision and was able to quickly translate that into conceptual sketches to make sure each scene had all the elements and magic we needed,” she said. “Planning is the biggest challenge with any film that relies on heavy visual effects and things that don’t exist in the real world. You must create the entire commercial in your mind first, then put it on paper, then film all the practical elements.” Before stepping on set, everything was meticulously mapped out with her team at Mathematic VFX, she added, “from the cacti maze to the disco pumas to the pool table with lemon-wedge pool balls. We knew the final destination of where we were going before we even began the pre-production meeting. Even on set, we were able to see some of the end product through some of the previz we did ahead of time.” The disco vibe is captured nicely in the soundtrack, “Sunny,” which the spot pulls out of the past and into the present by adding an original verse from the rapper Connor Price. “We started watching Connor’s videos and instantly recognized his amazing talent,” said Choi. “We gave him the original ‘Sunny’ by Boney M. track along with a brief, and he started recording. He pretty much nailed it in the first round.” Even though they filmed primarily on a stage, it was important to shoot in Mexico to honor the brand’s roots and include a lot of Mexican talent, Muiño said. In terms of casting and styling, “we wanted that sense of exciting people and outfits you’d want to see at your daytime party,” she added. One role in the whole production was obviously critical—the rolling-skating lead. “She would make or break the spot,” Muiño said. “We needed someone who was fun, friendly and charismatic. That person needed to be the catalyst whose infectious personality would motivate the fun times in our surreal world.” Muiño immediately knew who she wanted to cast—a friend from Ukraine, Ganna Bogdan, an actress, musician and model who also just happens to be a professional figure skater. “But I didn’t want to play favorites,” she said, “so we went through the casting process and also scoured Instagram, trying to find a professional roller skater who had the same charisma as Ganna. But no one came close, and everyone agreed Ganna was the one.” The film will run in various lengths from 15 seconds to two minutes across digital platforms and social media. Choi said the brand is thrilled with the launch work as it continues to expand in a high-growth category. “As tequila becomes more popular and continues to expand into various occasions, we hope our target consumers purchase Tequila Don Julio Rosado to celebrate in the daytime, especially as we get into the spring and summer months,” she said. “We truly believe Tequila Don Julio Rosado is a unique and delicious liquid, so together with the creative vision and film that the community and Tanu created with us, we feel confident in the product’s success.”

Inside Diageo and director Tanu Muiño’s lush, whimsical intro spot for Tequila Don Julio Rosado

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