Success StoryCorona Premier cracks open a cool campaign with ApexDrop

The well-known beer brand reached new market segments and increased social media engagement through virtual tastings.

Campaign At-A-Glance

Challenge

To connect with a younger, more socially active audience.

Solution

Leverage ApexDrop’s micro-influencers to conduct virtual tastings and share their experiences with their social followings.

Results

10XEngagement Increase*

610,112Earned Video Views

300Product Testers

914Earned Media Posts

5.5MReach

*(average engagement on Instagram over a 6 month period)

Overview

The Corona family of beers and hard seltzers currently includes eight different beverage brands. Corona Premier, which was launched in 2018, was the company’s first new beer in nearly 30 years. With just 90 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrates, Corona Premier is even lighter than Corona Light and appeals to health-conscious beer drinkers.

To reach a younger, more active, and social media-savvy audience, Corona reached out to ApexDrop to build a unique campaign centered around virtual tastings. Corona Premier then tapped into ApexDrop’s diverse network of product testers to create authentic user-generated content blending lifestyle and product visuals. The end result? A dramatic increase in social engagement, especially on Instagram.

Challenge

Corona’s low-calorie, low-carb Premier brand was aimed at a younger demographic that was more active on social media than the company’s typical market segments. To be successful in reaching this group, the Corona Premier team knew they would need to leverage different marketing strategies and channels. These potential customers were social media savvy and could spot an ad or sponsored post from a mile away. Authenticity would be critical to campaign success.

Solution

The Corona team decided to partner with ApexDrop, the micro-influencer marketing agency with nearly a decade of expertise in working with social media creators. All influencer engagement would be done through product sampling rather than monetary payment, fostering transparency and enabling relatable and organic brand promotion.

ApexDrop shared the campaign details with its network of vetted micro-influencers, and 300 creators raised their hands to receive samples of Corona Premier. They then began sharing their experiences with the product using relevant, contextual visuals, such as sipping a beer while grilling or sitting by the beach. The selected influencers represented a diverse group of creators with an extensive social following totaling over 5M.

Results

With a click, Corona’s virtual tastings erased borders, inviting beer enthusiasts to a global gathering of flavors, one virtual cheer at a time. The highly successful campaign resulted in a significant uptick in social media engagement. Key metrics include a 10x increase in Instagram engagement, a reach of over 5.5 million potential customers, more than 600K earned video views, 914 earned media posts, and hundreds of authentic, user-generated posts that the brand can now leverage in other marketing materials and promotional channels.

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About Corona

The Corona beer brand is a product of Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s largest brewer, and is sold around the world. Grupo Modelo falls under the Anheuser-Busch InBev corporate umbrella, which brews and sells the beer in all markets outside of the United States. In the U.S., all Corona beer is imported and distributed by Constellation Brands, which holds the sole license for the American market. Corona Mexican Lager first became available in the U.S. in 1979 and quickly found favor with beachgoers and vacationers. Over the decades, the brand introduced new products, including Corona Light, Corona Premier, and two hard seltzers. Today, Corona beer remains a popular choice for drinkers, especially members of Gen Z.

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