At least since the classic 1958 rock instrumental Tequila by The Champs, it’s been clear that rock has a strong connection to the traditional Mexican spirit. Nowadays, any rock venue worth it’s (margarita) salt, has a handful of varieties behind the bar.
Legendary singer Sammy Hagar brought Cabo Wabo tequila to the masses in the mid-1990s and the brand quickly became popular with rockers of all stripes. The Rolling Stones took 12 cases with them after their Hawaiian tour. Of course, Cabo Wabo has found fans beyond the music set. Bon Appetit magazine named it one of the “Top Three Tequilas in the World.”
Skyy Spirits, which now owns the storied tequila brand, introduced an innovative experiential ad campaign for Cabo Wabo last year. Called “Your Shot to Rock,” the program is a national talent search for the best unsigned, up-and-coming rock bands in cities across America.
The brand has partnered with the biggest rock radio stations in the world to bring this search to life.
Brian Rosman, whose agency Dog and a Duck worked on the campaign for Cabo Wabo, said that “local radio is still number one for bands to break and we wanted to take advantage of that.”
Shot to Rock is running in 7 markets and is especially effective because of the local flavor that each station and DJ gives it.
“Because we’ve made it so local, a lot of the programmers are bought in,” said Rosman. “To get this kind of buy-in is the holy grail of radio marketing.”
In Los Angeles, the brand is working closely with “Locals Only,” the legendary KROQ’s show hosted by Kat Corbett. “Finding great rock bands is what we do every day at KROQ and having Cabo Wabo Tequila on board with this campaign is going to blast a giant spotlight on the local music community here in SoCal.”
So think that you and your garage band might want a shot to rock? Enter here: www.shottorock.com