To design around this challenge, Elmwood New York conducted an extensive cultural immersion across Mexico to understand the various perceptions and behaviors in consumption and shopping across regions. With a brand as beloved as Tecate, we knew that a boots-on-the-ground immersion across Mexico’s many regions would be necessary to inform a meaningful design. From this process, we understood that the brand is deeply entwined in the country’s cultural fabric. Yes, it’s a great beer, but it’s more than that: it’s an authentic lifestyle icon ingrained in Mexican sports, music, and entertainment. We needed to shift the narrative beyond product—to an attitude encapsulating Tecate’s unapologetic boldness and modern masculinity.
With these learnings in hand, Elmwood NY revisited Tecate’s assets to build distinctiveness and help the beer stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace. This included emboldening the brand’s iconic eagle and wordmark as well as stripping back unnecessary visual clutter. We then crafted the beer’s new brand world. This included everything from music festival and soccer sponsorships to point-of-sale and out-of-home advertisements. The result is a more modern visual identity that embraces Tecate’s bold spirit and moves the brand beyond just a beloved beer to become a true lifestyle brand.
