The Viuda de Romero tequila brand emerged in 1852. At its height, the tequila brand became one of the preferred brands of the consumer, who already identified that Catalina, the widow, reigned on the product label.
According to the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry, at the end of 2020 Viuda de Romero produced 1,600,000 liters of tequila, a good number in its registry. However, the brand had never seen the need to reinvent itself, until the image of Doña Catalina, which appeared on the label, ceased to match the image of the ‘modern widow’, the one that best connects with the new generations.
The main challenge for the Padre Group marketing agency was to reinvent the tequila brand, but without losing its essence. The advantage, says Rodrigo Díez, general director of the agency, was that the brand, which belongs to La Madrileña/Bepensa Spirits, had a lot of vision and anticipated any negative situation.
“Viuda de Romero is a leader in its segment and a much-loved brand that was in very good health. The commission was to rejuvenate it; they sought to appeal to younger audiences without losing their regular consumer base”, he details.
Expansión (E): What was the main challenge of rebranding a brand that was born more than 100 years ago?
Rodrigo Díez (RD): When one faces a project of the stature of Viuda de Romero, one of the Mexican brands with the longest history in the category, legacy brands as we know them in consulting, the most important thing is to make sure create sustainable value for many more decades or, at least, the basis for its construction. In this aspect, knowledge of market dynamics and the generation of relevance for the identified audiences are the keys to success.
In addition, one of the great challenges of the project is that the brand has limited promotional efforts, so the main point of contact with it is the shelf. We had to achieve a great impact on the shelf that would make new consumers turn around and always take into consideration the high quality of the product.
E: What insights did you find and consider to refresh the brand?
RD: At Padre Group we always approach assignments from a strategic perspective, which is why, before beginning creative development, we always begin with a phase of diagnosis and immersion in the context of the brand. In the exploration phase, we found that Viuda de Romero sold more than 200,000 boxes per year.
This made us think that if we wanted to recover the splendor of the brand, this change should be approached more as a true rebranding and not a subtle restyling . We also identified that their direct competitors were very homogenized and that they all built around the idea of traditional or rural Mexico. In the same way, discovering the attachment that exists towards the brand and the recognition that its name enjoys, led us to be extremely careful not to lose the emotional connection that consumers had with Viuda de Romero.
I: How was the repositioning strategy in the market?
RD: The strategy had to respond to the expectations of the assignment: to appeal to a younger audience, it was necessary to return to the more youthful brand without losing its heritage and tradition, to gain visibility and relevance on the shelf, and to maintain the key elements of the brand. This allowed us to identify a great opportunity, resignifying traditional codes by projecting them forward.
Thus, a brand idea was conceived around the saying “who had, retained” that speaks of a Widow of ancestry, with a great legacy and history, but who does not live anchored in the past. The new widow is a self-confident, empowered woman who knows she is attractive and is still capable of turning heads.
E: What did the redesign of the label consist of?
RD: The strategy behind the redesign was to go retro. A renewed aesthetic that would not make us lose our history. The identity was completely redesigned. A new logo was created, inspired by the aesthetics of old school tattoos, the brand was given a new, more vibrant color palette, a nineteenth-century-inspired secondary graphic was generated and, above all, some touch-ups were made to the widow aesthetic. Catalina went from being a lady with a stern, hard face and few friends to a young, flirtatious woman with a more rogue attitude , who embodies the brand’s new personality, authentic, rebellious and attractive. A true femme fatale .
A new verbal identity, with a light and somewhat cheeky tone, based on modified traditional proverbs such as “The dead to the grave and the widow to mischief”, “The dead to the well and the widow to joy” or “Dead the parakeet, What do I want the cage for?
E. When did you launch the rebranding?
RD: The new image was launched in 2021 so that everything would be ready in 2022, the year of its 170th anniversary.
E: Until now, what have been the results and the perception towards the brand?
RD: The rebranding of Viuda de Romero has resulted in a rejuvenated brand that capitalizes on its legacy, much more attractive on the shelves and has been very attractive to younger audiences. The brand has experienced a new boom without losing its usual consumers and is ready for another century of glory.
E: What public is the product aimed at?
RD: Anyone looking for a 100% agave tequila, friendly, made with the highest quality standards and at a very competitive price, which is also an excellent option when making cocktails due to its smoothness and great flavor.
I: What is the cost-benefit ratio?
RD: One of the main objectives was to make it clear that we are dealing with a brand of value, and not of price. It is one of the few 100% agave tequilas in its price range (between 160 and 200 pesos) and with a magnificent distribution strategy that allows us to find it throughout Mexico wherever we are.
