MARGARITAVILLE

A Destination Drink

Margaritaville is a $750M brand encompassing a broad product line of food, music, restaurants, apparel, beer, spirits and more. While the brand had 74% brand recognition in the US, the centerpiece of its spirits portfolio – tequila – was still perceived as a value option relative to the rest of the category. Additionally, consumers were having difficulty navigating the brand’s 40-plus products and flavor extensions. Gemini Spirits and Wine challenged Trinity to upgrade the look of the Margaritaville spirits brand and create a cohesive yet shop-able architecture for all its tequilas, rums and ready-to- drink products(RTDs).

INSIGHTS

Escape the Everyday

The tequila category was growing despite the fact that the economy was forcing people to trade down. There was growth opportunity for Margaritaville if it could better express its promise of an escape from the everyday. Margaritaville offered consumers a smoother taste than other, harsher tasting competitors, delivering well on the promise of the easy-going, liberating experience that spirits consumers were seeking.

STRATEGY

A Passport to Paradise

Trinity recognized the rich potential of the Margaritaville spirits line to take ownership of the idea of an accessible escape. The brand’s founder, Jimmy Buffet, embodies that escapism philosophy in his lyrics, music and concerts that offer fans an everyday trip to paradise. Trinity drove the evolution of his spirits brand from the mere observer role it had occupied in the past to an appropriately engaging and active participant in the sought after escape.

CREATIVE

Bringing the Islands to the Aisle

Trinity redesigned the Margaritaville brandmark by bringing its iconic seaplane to the foreground, thereby imbuing it with a sense of heroism. The new placement shows the plane departing after it’s dropped you off on your island paradise, with what was a background sunset now evolved to become a sunrise with its promise of optimism. We collaborated with their glass manufacturer to develop a new bottle and closure for the tequila and rum lines to give them a more premium silhouette, and a packaging system architecture that delivers strong brand blocking and easier navigation at shelf.