When it comes to viral marketing at the Oscars, Don Julio is taking its shot.
At the 96th Academy Awards Sunday, host Jimmy Kimmel and his right-hand-man, Guillermo Rodriguez, “surprised” Best Actor nominee Colman Domingo with Don Julio margaritas live during the show.
In the bit, which had Kimmel taking a tequila shot on stage, Rodriguez toasted the nominees, calling them by the wrong names and ending with a salute to his “beautiful wife,” a flabbergasted Charlize Theron.
OK, so the surprise wasn’t totally a surprise.
ADWEEK learned that Domingo was aware of the bit ahead of time, and following the moment, guests 21+ in the venue were also treated to an exclusive first sip of the new Don Julio 1942 Tequila 50-milliliter offering, a new, seven-inch-tall bottle that is available for presale starting this weekend.
The integration was also accompanied by a 60-second spot from Diageo’s “Por Amor” campaign, with the Don Julio parent company showcasing the new bottles on a global stage.
But how did it all come together? We’ve got the tea-quila.
Diageo has been a partner of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences for years, regularly supplying the Governor’s Ball with cocktails following the ceremony, but this year’s event was the first time Don Julio was a sponsor of the Oscars on ABC.
With that in mind, the product was the perfect fit for the first spirits brand to have an in-show moment, and Kimmel—who has been a long-standing partner of Diageo for more than 13 years (regularly enjoying tequila on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live)—was a critical part of it.
“Jimmy loves to surprise the audience and pitched us this idea,” Teni Melidonian, chief Oscars officer at AMPAS, told ADWEEK. “Diageo is the perfect partner to help us create this fun, unique moment within a global broadcast, and we couldn’t wait to share it with the audience.”