Tequila Promotion Delivers Smooth Results

(Direct Newsline)—Results for a Jose Cuervo Especial tequila campaign for Valentine's Day are over the top thanks to a viral marketing tactic that combines offline and online media.

The campaign, called the Stupid Cupid Day Celebration, uses a magazine ad to drive consumers to the Cuervonation.com Web site where incentives are provided for the visitor to hand over personal data and encourage their friends to visit the site, too.

The campaign launched Jan. 8 and runs through Feb. 14.

"We had projected 30,000 registered users and we're already over 20,000 who have registered in the last two weeks," said Maria Mandel, director of interactive marketing at DraftDigital, Cuervo's agency. Most visitors weren't expected to appear until Valentine's Day, she said.

She credits high response to viral marketing. "Thirty-five percent of respondents were friends who received the passalong," Mandel said.

Getting consumers to market the product for you is very cost efficient, of course, but Mandel won't quantify how much has been saved mid-campaign.

The promotion's marketing budget is under $500,000, according to Mandel.

Visitors find out about the Web site through a Cuervo print ad in FHM magazine that promotes a contest on the site. Readers rip out a red-colored transparency inserted over the ad, register at www.Cuervonation.com and place the transparency over their computer screen. Then, a virtual decoder on the site tells them if they've won a prize.

The grand prize is a cruise for four to Mexico. Other prizes are concert tickets, DVDs and CDs.

An automatic e-mail immediately goes out to winners telling them how to redeem their award, and encourages them to pass along the promotion to their friends to get another chance to win. Those who don't win receive an e-mail suggesting they pass along the promotion to gain another chance to try their luck.

"We found that consumers passed along to about three friends," Mandel said.

People who didn't see the magazine ad can still register on the site and manipulate a graphical heart to view the virtual decoder. They also automatically receive the passalong e-mails.

The promotion tweaks the traditional idea that Valentine's Day is for couples. Cuervo re-invents the love-in, and recommends celebrating with the people who are always there for you—your best friends, Mandel said.

The passalong tactic ties in with this theme. And, the grand prize trip to Mexico is designed so the winner can take three friends along.

The promo's target audience is consumers ages 21 to 29.

The Web site also presents ideas and recipes for a Stupid Cupid party at home. Site visitors can also make a Stupid Cupid e-postcard, using images, graphics and sounds on the site, to send a greeting or party invitation to friends.

To register, visitors key in their name and postal and e-mail addresses, along with demographic data and information about how and when they drink Especial tequila.

They are also asked to sign up for Cuervo's e-mail newsletter program geared to building customer relationships. The Cuervo Passport e-newsletter delivers a 20% open rate and a 5% to 10% clickthrough rate, Mandel said.