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Dos Equis debuts Snapchat filters as official beer sponsor of College Football Playoffs

Dos Equis is celebrating its inking of a deal with ESPN to become the official beer sponsor of the College Football Playoffs with a host of social marketing techniques that make use of mobile's unique traits, including a Snaphat filter.

The beer company is making use of football-themed Snapchat filters to encourage consumers to interact with the brand and to watch the game. The move comes amid other transformations in Dos Equis? branding strategy

?Working with the College Football Playoff and ESPN is a remarkable opportunity to help our consumers 'Stay Thirsty? during one of the biggest sporting events in America,? said Andrew Katz, vice president of marketing for Dos Equis. ?2016 has been a groundbreaking year for the brand with this sponsorship, multiple partnerships with Snapchat, and the evolution of The Most Interesting Man in the World, and we?re committed to elevating the beer drinking experience for fans whether at the stadium, at home or at their local watering hole.?

Snapchat filters
Dos Equis has a very visible marketing presence with its popular Most Interesting Man in the World campaigns, which have been running for a few years now.

After retiring the original Most Interesting Man in the World, Dos Equis recently passed the torch to a new actor who will take the reins as the iconic character. 

Amid those transformations, Dos Equis is also beginning to channel its focus towards mobile and social, particularly when it comes to interactive and video marketing.

The first example of that new direction will be as partner with the College Football Playoffs where the brand will introduce Snapchat filters themed around college football, letting consumers frame their user-generated content with a branded message from Dos Equis.

Dos Equis is also debuting the first full-length commercial filmed with their new Most Interesting Man, which will bridge the gap between Dos Equis? popular TV advertising and the more dynamic field of mobile and social video.

The commercial features the Most Interesting Man carving a coconut into the shape of a football in the Serengeti. ESPN will use its unique VFX technology to transition from the ad to the live game in real time, wherever the consumer may be watching it, whether that?s on TV or through a streaming mobile channel.

Sweepstakes
Additionally, Dos Equis will be running a sweepstakes to let winning consumers attend college football games for free, as well as win TVs, grills and other prizes.

Winners will find codes on specially marked cans and bottles of Dos Equis beer that must be entered through a messaging service, providing another connection between physical consumer experience and the mobile channel. 

?Dos Equis is known for their breakthrough creative,? said Gil Beverly, vice president of college sports marketing at ESPN, ?This leveraging of the Most Interesting Man is an example of elevating a smart campaign through the combined power of ESPN?s leading platforms and through the positioning of being ?The Official Beer of the College Football Playoff,? to drive greater impact with this engaged, passionate audience.?