Pacifico Brand Activation

Widely known as the beer of choice for surfers in California, Pacifico approached us seeking big ideas to create brand recognition in Texas.

My Role:

Art Direction, Environmental Design

The Challenges:

Solving the question of Pacifico’s ideal target market in Texas
In a crowded market, dreaming up custom solutions that could ONLY be associated with Pacifico
Researching our potential solutions to see what is realistically possible

The Process:

Since the 1970s, Pacifico has built a brand reputation as the go-to beer for surf-loving Californians. Seeing the massive market available, the company wanted to reach a similar demographic in Texas.

After thorough research, we narrowed in on our target market: Athletic, casual, adventure-loving weekend warriors aged 21-39. We went big with our ideas, pitching everything from guerilla stunts intended to go viral…to a free Ninja-warrior style obstacle course.

We leaned heavily on Pacifico’s tried and true surfer design aesthetic, putting the iconic yellow and blue design system front and center. Many of our ideas were centered around Austin but fully adaptable for cities all across Texas.

A few of the ideas we narrowed in on:

Host a series of citywide paddle parades all over Texas where Participants can use Pacifico-provided supplies to outfit their kayaks and paddleboards.
Sponsor the Austin water polo team, outfitting them with custom kayaks, paddles, nets, jerseys, and Pacifico-branded YETI coolers. Pacifico would host a match for locals to watch and win prizes.
Host a free “hammock hour” by Lady Bird Lake, with a mobile dog wash station provided for folks to have their dogs washed while they enjoy a cold one in a hammock by the water.

Create a free American Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course at Deep Eddy Pool or on Lake Travis.
Partner with Alamo Drafthouse to bring back Jaws On The Water and turn it into a weekly event over eight weeks, featuring all water-based films (Moana, Captain Ron, Castaway, Point Break, etc).
Host a Daybreaker event on the water called Wavebreaker, complete with a DJ on the water.
Set up a floating cornhole tournament for the public.
Produce and film a guerilla stunt on South Congress, with a person riding a hoverboard outfitted to look like a hydrofoil.

Rough concept mockups

Additional ideas

On top of our event concepts, we came up with some add-on ideas for Pacifico to extend their impact on Texas:

Create custom dry bags full of Pacifico-branded gear for a day on the water: Sunglasses, Reef sandals, waterproof speakers, waterproof phone lanyards, and more.

Design and produce a custom Pacifico six-pack holder, outfitted with a clean water tester to check the purity of the water.

The winning idea

Ultimately, Pacifico decided to go with one big idea: A live mural painting during Labor Day weekend, complete with a party on dry land for folks getting off the water. We hired Texas-based artist Scott Tarbox to paint the mural onsite at Rowing Dock during the busiest parts of the weekend. Adventurous folks who came out to paddle board or kayak over the weekend got a chance to see the mural in progress, hang with the artist, enjoy music and drinks at the afterparty, and ultimately win merch including Pacifico-branded paddle boards.

Pacifico Beer