Desperados push takes to the surf

Desperados, the tequila-flavoured beer owned by Heineken, is building on its 2012 UK consumer experience campaign by backing the Relentless Energy Drink Boardmasters in Newquay – Europe’s only surf, skate and music festival.
Boardmasters is part of a nationwide programme driven by agency Space, which includes sponsorship, entertainment and experiential activity aimed at giving Desperados drinkers the chance to try the beer and enjoy the Desperados “experience”.
The event is supported by extensive digital and social media activity and reflects the company’s strategy to drive awareness and trial among 18- to 25-year-olds.
The event features a Desperados Dome, showcasing critically acclaimed music acts, live activities, a branded skate ramp and sampling of Desperados drinks and merchandise. Featured artists and DJs include Shy FX, Breakage, Deekline, Murkage, Mikill Pain and many top DJs curated by Space.
Consumer engagement tactics feature body graffiti artist, The Urbanist, beat boxing trio, Duke, and Desperados’ own roaming drummers, who will challenge the crowd to “drum-offs” and reward participants with product samples and branded merchandise.
The festival will also see Desperados celebrate the best in skateboarding and BMXing with a fully branded ramp and a large outdoor screen to broadcast all the action and excitement of the day to festivalgoers in and around the Desperados’ Dome.
Desperados senior brand manager Jason Wills said: “Boardmasters is a key event in our growing event programme for the year. Over 34,000 festival-goers are expected at Boardmasters and we’ve created a credible, impressive experience through which we can deliver an exciting brand story to our target audience.
Space managing partner David Atkinson added: “Boardmasters is part of the company’s initiative to generate future growth for the brand through highly targeted integrated marketing activity. Desperados aims to increase off-trade convenience and impulse distribution of the brand as well as increase on-trade distribution by delivering to 3,000 new outlets by end of the year.”