• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 18, 2011

Heineken USA's Tecate beer brand, which until now has focused its U.S. marketing on Mexican male immigrants, is expanding its target audience to all male Hispanics for its new 2011 "Celebration" campaign.

As part of this broader strategy, Tecate will for the first time test English-language TV spots in select markets, as well as incorporate Tecate Light into its creative.

The brand's previous campaign, "Anthem," focused strictly on recognizing the perseverance and character of Mexican male immigrants in the U.S., with a serious tone that portrayed the struggles and hard-working lives of men laboring in blue-collar jobs to support their families.

The TV spots and other elements of the "Celebration" campaign continue the "Con Carácter" ("with character") theme, but have a partying theme, focusing on the "gregariousness and festivity" and other key elements of the overall Hispanic culture and Hispanic men.

The new TV spots from KBS+P's Ramona, some of which launched in 15-second, Spanish-language versions on major Hispanic television networks this week (30-second versions will begin running in mid-April), humorously portray the "ingenuity, valor and determination" of Hispanic men.

One spot shows a group of Hispanic men in a bar (wearing knight armor) standing to welcome a female fellow bar patron, who is clearly a senior citizen, to their table. Messaging: "This Tecate is for ... the ones from the roundtable, who are truly gentlemen." Another shows a group of Hispanic men in a bar vying to be the one who picks up the tab. A third shows an Hispanic male in a blue-and-white striped shirt, relaxing in a chair in his own home as he drinks a Tecate -- and holding up what appear to be two very large eggs (testicular connotations?) -- with the messaging: "This Tecate goes ... for the one in the striped shirt who is a real, real man."

The tagline on all of the spots: "Let's celebrate character. Con Carácter."

Tecate's decision to expand its consumer marketing approach is far from surprising, given that male Mexican immigrants represent less than 10% of the U.S. Hispanic population, and that most of the growth in the Hispanic market over the next decade will come from second- and third-generation consumers.

"The new campaign is consistent in retaining the focus on the character of Hispanic men, but the creative interpretations of that are different -- and this creative is joyous, celebrating that character in humorous ways," sums up Felix Palau, VP, marketing for Tecate, for Marketing Daily.

In addition to the television/online videos and online ads on targeted sites, the main Spanish-language campaign includes radio (DJ endorsements on Spanish-language stations nationwide), and out-of-home (including graffiti murals, bus shelters, mobile billboards and wrapped trucks).

Reflecting the significantly expanded audience target, the media buy, by MediaVest MV42, is also wider than in the past, encompassing key Hispanic markets including Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa and New York, with a national overlay.

The testing of creative translated into English -- in TV spots on both Hispanic and mainstream networks, radio and out-of-home -- will take place in markets with high concentrations of acculturated Hispanics who are bilingual, such as San Antonio, Palau reports. "We, of course, want to test this carefully, in appropriate markets," he says. "If it's successful, we will expand it in 2012."

As for Tecate Light, a 2007 launch that is currently sold only in the Western region of the country and Texas, the brand sees this as becoming a significant driver of its overall portfolio sales in the long term, Palau says. The initial approach is starting to broaden the light version's awareness by building it into the new campaign (shots of Tecate Light on tables in bars and inclusion in the beer toasts at the end of most TV spots, for example).

Interestingly, Tecate regular competes mostly with domestic premium light beers in the U.S., according to Palau. Research shows Hispanic males viewing the light version as particularly appropriate for mixed male/female occasions, including family or other parties that may extend for multiple hours, while viewing Tecate regular as the choice for all-male, shorter-duration get-togethers, he reports.