Snoop and the Corona beer brand: A perfect match

It’s rare, extremely rare, when the brands of a spokesperson and the product match up so perfectly as they do with Snoop Dogg and the Corona beer brand. You’ve seen the spots. They’re laid-back, beachy and somehow comforting.

“The Corona beer brand always stays on brand, right down to who it chooses to present its brand. La Vida Mas Fina (‘the fine life’) indeed.”

Even the best spokespeople are not perfect matchups with their products. As much as I like the Peyton Manning Nationwide commercials, I don’t know what Manning’s dumb-smart approach has to do with the brand promise of Nationwide. Those ads are just for exposure.

And entertainment.

As readers of Stealing Share know, we don’t think much about today’s TV advertising. The Snoop Corona beer brand ads are the exception. Most advertising is simply entertainment. A skit with a brand’s logo at the end.

That does little to create preference. It only raises awareness. But even the most heavily advertised brands don’t need more awareness. GEICO is one of the biggest buyers of advertising space, spending more than $1.6 billion each year. Why? The insurance brand airs some of the most entertaining ads on television. But what’s the point? (You could ask the same thing for any number of the big insurance advertisers. Progressive anyone?)

GEICO’s problem isn’t awareness. It’s meaning.

Corona beer brand always feels like a relaxed Snoop Dogg

When looking for a spokesperson, few brands find such harmony between the vibe of the person and what the brand itself means. The Corona beer brand has always been about relaxing. Slowing down while the rest of the world (ie., the other beer brands) rages on.

Snoop, with his easy lope, walks down the beach asking, “Have you ever seen a man in a hurry while drinking a Corona?” Our unspoken answer is always, “No, man. You drink a Corona when you’re slowing down.”

What does the matchup of something like this do for the brand? It makes the brand promise real to the consumer. And known. So many brands don’t even have meaning. And if they do, it’s just the same old thing everyone else in the category thinks they own.

But they’re never unique. The Corona beer brand always stays on brand, right down to who it chooses to present its brand. La Vida Mas Fina (“the fine life”) indeed.