This Día de Muertos, Tequila Don Julio is entering a new era–one defined by its status as a global luxury icon. The rebirth commences with a comprehensive social media campaign that involves wiping the brand’s social media presence and then rebuilding it with “Celebración”: a five-episode docuseries that spotlights four Mexican creators as they unveil the heart and soul of Día de Muertos. This process–from resurrecting Don Julio’s social media presence to bringing Don Julio and Día de Muertos to the world–aligns the brand with authentic Mexican heritage and catapults it to global icon status.
The first step in the revival–all of which was created in partnership with GALE, Don Julio’s Social Agency of Record–was putting up a “wipe post,” or a post that reset the brand’s social channels with an image of a beautifully carved skull: a symbol of transition. The following day, Don Julio’s global accounts were merged into one global platform, resetting the brand’s channels and creating a unified voice.
With a unified Don Julio Instagram presence, the platform was reignited with “Celebración.” Consisting of five 60-90-second episodes that appear on Don Julio’s Instagram, the docuseries follows four Mexican creators–Ximena del Valle, Chris Luengas, Monica Gonzalez Carter, and Gus Mejia–as they explore a theme in each episode: Origins, Memories, Symbols, Honor, and Reflections. Blending immersive videos, photos, poetry, and quotes, the creators share their ofrendas–or beautifully adorned Mexican altars–and offer an authentic, deeply meaningful perspective on the rich and captivating tradition. Out of respect for the brand’s authentic Mexican roots, “Celebración” is posted in Spanish and accompanied by English subtitles. Celebrating respectfully is paramount to the campaign, so GALE and Don Julio enlisted the renowned Mexican visual artist and historian Betsabeé Romero as a cultural advisor.
The comprehensive campaign concludes with Don Julio and GALE bringing back the spirit of Mexicanidad by, on Don Julio’s Instagram, broadcasting Día de Muertos celebrations as they’re happening from across the globe–immersing viewers in the festivities in real-time. The curated content illustrates how Don Julio is a luxury global icon beloved worldwide. In this way, Don Julio is positioned as synonymous with Mexicanidad and luxury–akin to Tiffany being paired with New York.
“This Día de Muertos, we wanted to create something truly extraordinary–a global experience that not only honors the deep cultural significance of the holiday but also resonates with people around the world,” said Sophie Kelly, DIAGEO SVP of Global Tequila and Mezcal.
“Building a brand through modern content marketing allows a luxury label like Don Julio to authentically emerge from Mexico–sharing cherished, traditional stories that mark the beginning of GALE’s partnership with the tequila giant,” said Ben James, GALE Chief Innovation Officer. “‘Celebración’ takes cultures and creators and puts them together to curate global content, ultimately celebrating Día de Muertos around the world.”
“Celebración” is a precursor to Don Julio’s global festivities for Día de Muertos, which includes ofrendas in eight major cities: Bogotá, Cape Town, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, and São Paulo. GALE will then tailor content from these global activations on Don Julio’s Instagram to represent the worldwide celebration and diversity of the Mexican diaspora.
