THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

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Strategy & Engagement

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PATRÓN Desert

Entered in Live Events

Objective

PATRÓN Tequila amplified its presence at Coachella and Stagecoach festivals by creating an immersive brand experience that bridged both physical and digital worlds. As part of the national launch of PATRÓN EL ALTO, the brand transformed its surrounding festival footprints into a stunning desert oasis, while simultaneously engaging millions of fans across social media with the #PATRONDesert campaign.

The strategy centered on bringing the distinctive PATRÓN experience to life both on and off festival grounds. Through real-time content creation, platform-specific storytelling, and talent partnerships, PATRÓN EL ALTO’s signature teal extended far beyond the desert. This integrated approach ensured that whether you were enjoying PATRÓN EL ALTO aroundat the festivals or discovering the brand through your social feed, you'd feel part of the celebration.

 

Strategy

Through a blend of in-person experiences and social connections, PATRÓN transformed traditional festival activations into viral moments through three key pillars:

Star-Powered Social Moments
In a landmark move, PATRÓN became the headline sponsor at NEON Carnival, displacing a 12-year incumbent sponsor. This takeover created an unprecedented social media moment when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were captured enjoying PATRÓN cocktails, alongside other A-list celebrities like Paris Hilton. These organic celebrity moments generated massive social buzz and became some of the most shared content of the festival season. The brand's social media command center capitalized on these moments in real-time, creating a viral cascade across platforms while maintaining authentic storytelling.

Digital Integration
PATRÓN designed physical activations with viral moments in mind, from the TAO Desert Nights partnership serving 41K+ cocktails to A-list guests like Victoria Monet, Patrick Ta, and Becky G, to the Gallery Desert House featuring performances by Shaboozey and Nikki Lane. Each moment was captured and distributed across platforms in real-time, creating a continuous stream of engaging content that kept both on-site and at-home audiences connected to the experience.

The brand took podcast partnerships to a new level at Coachella, filming an on-site content series with Nick Viall of The Viall Files and guest Tom Schwartz that gave listeners a real-time peek into the festival experience. This strategy extended beyond the festival weekend through strategic podcast placements on Trading Secrets with Jason Tartick and Almost Adulting with Violet Benson, allowing the brand to keep the conversation going long after the desert dust had settled.

Influencer Amplification Strategy
PATRÓN moved beyond traditional influencer partnerships by implementing a digital-first "always-on" approach. Tayshia Adams' Instagram takeover on PATRÓN Tequila’s Instagram was designed as an interactive experience, with real-time polls, Q&As, and behind-the-scenes moments that made followers feel like active participants. The brand empowered influencer partners with creative freedom, resulting in 585% more organic content than contracted, driving authentic engagement across platforms.

Results

PATRÓN Desert created an unprecedented digital phenomenon that extended far beyond the physical confines of Coachella Valley, making it the most talked-about brand activation of festival season.

Social Media Impact:

Digital Content Performance:

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Entrant Company / Organization Name

PATRÓN Tequila

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