• by Aaron Baar , March 17, 2008

Phrases such as "For those who don't come because they can, but because they can they come" and "For those who know on which side the iguana chews" may not mean much as a phrase to English speakers (or even non-Mexican Spanish speakers), but Tecate beer is using such colloquialisms to connect with its core audience in a new advertising campaign.

"These are phrases of character," Carlos Boughton, Tecate brand director, tells Marketing Daily. "It may sound totally senseless, but the idea is to recognize people who have achieved some amount of leadership and success."

Tecate, owned by FEMSA and distributed in the U.S. by Heineken USA, is almost exclusively targeting adult Mexican consumers in the U.S. with its new Spanish-language campaign, which includes television, print and outdoor elements, Boughton says. The new work, from MDC Partners agency Adrenalina in New York, carries the tagline "Con Caracter," which translates to "With Character."

"In the past, we were playing in the same spaces as the rest of the beers, import and domestic: men having a good time," Boughton says. "We felt that was not enough, and we needed to connect with our core consumers at a much higher level."

The new work breaks during Telefutura's Solo Boxeo Tecate, a boxing program sponsored by Tecate. Television spots will then air on Spanish-language networks such as Univision, Azteca America and Fox Sports en Español. Print and out-of-home will be targeted in 36 key Hispanic markets such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson and Dallas.

While the idiomatic, nonsensical language of the campaign may not resonate with non-Mexican Spanish speakers, Boughton says he isn't concerned about alienating other people. "We know our market, and we want to talk directly to them," he says. "I've seen a lot of campaigns that try to appeal to a broader market and what happens is they get watered down; they kind of appeal to everyone, but only kind of."

According to Chicago-based Mintel, imported beer accounts for 26% of the market's sales. Between 2001 and 2006, the imported beer segment has grown 2.3% and will grow another 5.9% by 2012.

Between 2002 and 2006, four Mexican brands--Corona, Carta Blanca, Modelo Especial and Tecate--accounted for 55% of the sector's growth--about 41 million cases, according to Mintel.

Despite the growing appeal of import brands, Tecate has never run English-language advertising and does not intend to do so in the near future, Boughton says. "We're trying to stay as true as we can to our market."