Tecate, the beer known for a commanding presence in the worlds of boxing and soccer, is expanding its vision. A clear sign of things to come is the new campaign and music compilation “Los Angeles Lindo y Querido.” Leading this new vision for 2020 and beyond is Tecate Senior Brand Director Oscar Martinez. We spoke with the newly appointed executive about the popular campaign, his advice on success, and the evolution of the Tecate brand.

Born 75 years ago on the western borderland of Tecate, Baja, Mexico, Tecate embodies the unapologetic energy of Mexican-Americans in the USA. To celebrate this community, Tecate recently released “Los Angeles Lindo y Querido” – a music Compilation featuring original songs from a handful of Mexican-American musicians – The Delirians, É Arenas, Katzù Oso, and Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas. The Compilation is a reflection of their bi-cultural identity and is inspired by one of the most popular anthems of love and loyalty to Mexico, “Mexico Lindo Y Querido. The result is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal, as well as through a music video produced by Mexican music producer Ulises Lozano.

“We celebrate Mexican-Americans as both 100% Americans and 100% Mexicans. We believe there is no such thing as being half Mexican, just as there is no such thing as being half you,” said  Martinez. “Tecate is honoring and celebrating the Mexican-Americans who are breaking conventions, living life on their own terms, and redefining the US Latino journey. Our goal in this initiative is to give these Mexican-American artists a microphone to share their personal journeys through music, while putting a modern spin on a Mexican classic.”

HOMBRE: What can you tell us about the new Tecate campaign, “Los Angeles Lindo y Querido’?
Oscar Martinez: Tecate is a very popular brand with the Mexican-American consumer, and we were thinking of what is next and how can we go deeper. Our consumer is bi-cultural, with a dual identity. We talked to them about passion points, and tried to figure out where we could meet them in a passionate and meaningful way. What we did is come back to our roots in Mexico, in the Tecate town of Baja California, and everything came together. It’s more than music, it’s an homage to the classic song “Mexico Lindo y Querido” and we wanted to invite new voices to reinvent it, to think of a modern take and to write a love letter to LA. It came back as a huge success for us and what we want to do in the future.

H: Is this something you plan to then continue doing? 
OM: We want to deliver something meaningful to the Mexican-American consumer and with this campaign we’re hitting into something that can be much bigger. This campaign is more than music, it’s about culture, it’s about lifestyle, it’s about talking to a younger demographic (21 to 35), it’s talking not only to men, it’s talking to women. It’s more inclusive. Music is a passion point and we want to be mindful about what music we are all about. It’s a new wave of music which is not only about rancheras, or this or that, it’s a mix of cultures and its a beautiful thing. This is what Tecate is all about.

H: What are Tecate’s plans in terms of boxing?
OM: We had an important fight November 2nd which we were really excited about. Boxing will be a part of how we talk to the consumer in the future, no question about it. What is positive is that Mexican-American consumers and Tecate are more than only boxing.

There are so many pieces of what defines our consumer, what defines our brand, so we’ll continue with boxing but in the future our definition is about music, it’s about soccer obviously, it’s about what is important and meaningful for the consumer.

H: So you’re expanding your marketing approach?
OM: That’s the idea. We are expanding because that is what Tecate is all about, where we’re coming from, what we’ve done in the past and it’s because that’s where the new consumer is going. We didn’t want to do something just for marketing sake, we wanted to do something that is meaningful.

H: This compilation is geared towards Mexicans in the West Coast, do you plan to do something for the East Coast and perhaps include reggaeton, or more urban sounds?
OM: It has to be New Wave, it has to be Mexican-American music but I know that reggaeton is huge. Obviously we’ll look at different geography for different consumers and we’ll be expanding not only in LA, it will be California, it will be Arizona which is an important market for us, Texas obviously. We’ll go little by little, step by step, we don’t want to rush it, but the answer is yes.

H: I was thinking of markets like Miami and New York, and how important they are for Tecate?
OM: We are popular there and it’s where we want to start doing new things. We plan to expand it, but obviously we want to start with the strongholds of Tecate.

H: What are the plans in the soccer arena?
OM: You know Liga Mexicana is the most popular league in the United States, by far, and it’s the one we love, the one we execute, and the one we want to bring to the consumer in the United States. We have a great partnership with Chivas de Guadalajara, and it has given us a good footprint in the West, and in markets like Illinois. What we want to do is be more than a sponsor, what we are trying to do is ignite meaningful experiences. Not only when we activate the games but how we interact with the fans, with social media. What is important in Liga Mexicana and Mexican soccer is having an evolution with the new consumer and we want Tecate to be at the forefront of how that happens. We have the right partnerships to make it happen.

H: What are some of the initiatives for 2020?
OM: Next year we have Campeón de Campeones which is the most important thing for Mexican soccer in the U.S. It happens in LA and it’s a partnership we want to leverage as much as we can. We did it last year and with the partnership with Univision it’s going to be critical to the success.
We will also be launching a completely new advertising campaign.

H: How do you come to Tecate?
OM: I’ve been with Tecate – and with Heineken as a company – nine months. I worked with Diageo for a few years in Madrid, and I got the opportunity to come to the headquarters in New York. Then I moved to a wine and spirits company and I had friends at Heineken. We started to talk and it was the right time to join. They thought I was the right person to come and take Tecate to the next level. There is a new leadership team, there’s a new leadership in marketing. As for me, I’m thrilled to take the company into the future.

H: What do you see as your mission for the brand now that you’re there?
OM: The mission is to help get us to the next level. It’s a tremendous responsibility to transform marketing and the way we talk to the consumer, to find out what they need, what they want, where they’re coming from and how Tecate fits, that is my mission. What is Tecate and what is that heritage, and make it fit. Obviously it’s about selling beer in the end and how that functions with retail in a very transformative way, that is how I see my mission.

H: What is your advice on success?
OM: It’s always about hard work. But it’s about how you do it. You have to have a clear set of values and for me how that relates to Heineken is that the company is about being honest, it’s about collaboration, it’s about ownership, and you have to be honest all the time. If something can’t be done, say it, and look for a better plan, a plan B. It’s about making things happen. Being action oriented.