'Dumb Phones' and Tequila ATM's: A Cinco de Mayo Promo Roundup

While we reported a little bit on Modelo's Cinco de Mayo promotions, there were plenty of other fun promotional products and campaigns to celebrate the holiday over the weekend.

Because, while a refreshing Mexican beer is a staple of a Cinco de Mayo party, there needs to be some tequila, right?

Some of the biggest names in tequila, like Jose Cuervo and Don Julio, did some interesting things to get customers in the spirit (no pun intended).

Let's start with Cuervo, which used the popular trope of limiting screen time in favor of real quality time with friends. They did that by enlisting "White Lotus" actor Haley Lu Richardson to sell us all on the idea of a Cuervo-branded "dumb phone" – which is the literal opposite of a smartphone. It doesn't have any of the apps or distractions of your smartphone, thus allowing us to have more meaningful interactions with friends and family in real life, preferably over a tequila.

Spend less time ~scrolling~ social and more time *getting* social this Cinco 📵🥳 Get your hands on a Cuervo Dumb Phone or round of drinks for your crew. Enter at https://t.co/qNQHML1H7o or just hit that link in bio. https://t.co/WmjEcyB9WQ pic.twitter.com/qoN0MmM139

— Jose Cuervo (@JoseCuervo) April 30, 2023

It's kind of like what Miller Lite did a few years back, instructing customers to unfollow them on social media and unplug for some real Miller Time.

Elsewhere in the tequila market, Don Julio put up branded "Tequila ATM's" in New York City, which did not, unfortunately, dispense actual bottles of tequila. Instead, it gave out branded "Cinco" notes, which were basically festive forms of paper currency, which could be cashed in for drinks in bars.

The ATM was decorated with art by Mexican muralist Claudio Limón, according to Tequila Raiders. This made it a fun blend of print and promotional products, using not only the art to decorate the physical ATM, but the paper Cinco notes, too.

Both of these promos stretched over the week, which is a good reminder for distributors to make sure their holiday-centric promos go beyond just one day. Think about it. The end-of-year holiday season starts ramping up in October, rather than December. A Cinco de Mayo promo can start on May 1.

You might as well start planning your Groundhog Day 2024 campaigns now.