CONTEXT
Founded more than 80 years ago by Don Julio González, Tequila Don Julio set the industry standard for luxury tequila.
But the tequila market has changed since 1942. In a category flooded with over 114 luxury brand extensions launched since 2020, Tequila Don Julio needed to reinforce Don Julio Reposado’s reputation as an original party starter and go-to tequila for celebration.
Meanwhile, another category experiencing similar recent growth is chicken sandwiches. One of the originals in the space? The much loved Popeyes.
Founded in New Orleans in 1972, Popeyes has over 50 years of history and culinary tradition, distinguishing itself with a unique New Orleans-style menu largely featuring fried chicken. The chain’s passion for its Louisiana heritage and flavorful authentic food has allowed Popeyes to become one of the world’s largest chicken quick service restaurants.
With Don Julio as an official sponsor of the NFL since 2021—and Super Bowl LIX to be played between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans—the 2025 championship game offered a unique opportunity in a host city defined by flavor, music, and celebration.
But neither brand would be airing a Super Bowl ad…
OBJECTIVES
STRATEGY
As a heritage brand, Don Julio was facing competitive headwinds from newcomers in an increasingly crowded category. But the brand was also experiencing a resurgence in interest from its loyal consumer fanbase and has seen a quick rise in popularity over the last year, becoming embedded in culture as a ritualistic party-starter.
Social listening provided the unlock. We uncovered that fans were already organically pairing Don Julio Reposado with unexpected food combinations like Popeyes' chicken sandwiches. Rather than manufacturing a moment, we met cultural tastemakers and party starters where they already were by amplifying what they already loved.
By turning an organic behavior into an unexpected partnership, an official collaboration could engage with food culture, earning headlines, hijacking social feeds, and sparking a surprising Super Bowl moment.
IDEA
The Super Bowl being in New Orleans, Popeyes' birthplace, provided the perfect moment to transform fans' organic pairing of the brands into a partnership that felt authentic to Don Julio, Popeyes, and the cultural conversation.
Popeyes, the official wing of watching football, and Don Julio, the official tequila of the Super Bowl, created a culinary mashup leading to the big game in New Orleans with the release of the Championship Lineup Menu that combined the rich heritage of Popeyes' Louisiana-style cooking with the bold flavors of Don Julio Reposado. A limited-time menu co-created with Popeyes that blended Don Julio’s Mexican heritage with Popeyes’ New Orleans flavor.
The headliner was the new Popeyes x Tequila Don Julio Reposado Flavored Concha Chicken Sandwich, a chicken breast fillet marinated in reposado tequila then fried in Popeyes crunchy buttermilk breading, topped with a tequila lime slaw, spicy spread, a barrel-cured pickle, and sandwiched between a sweet and buttery concha roll—a beloved Mexican pastry.
By aligning Tequila Don Julio with timely food culture and Popeyes fandom, we created a locally rooted, nationally resonant moment that celebrated the city, surprised both brands’ fans, and reinforced Don Julio Reposado’s reputation as a party starter.
PLAYBOOK
To ensure the collaboration extended beyond the Super Bowl’s local market, the limited menu was made available in five key cities and sold in the week leading into Super Bowl. For one-day-only, on January 31st, select Popeyes restaurants in New Orleans, New York City, Miami, and the hometowns of the teams headed to the Super Bowl, Philadelphia, and Kansas City, got a preview of the Championship Lineup Menu.
Then, in the city of the football’s Big Game and Popeyes’ hometown, the exclusive menu was made available at the newly redesigned flagship restaurant on New Orleans’ Canal Street for an extended period from January 31st through Game Day on February 9th, while supplies lasted.
To support the activation, the brands would employ a robust media relations effort to drive earned press impressions and buzz, along with influencer partnerships across Instagram, TikTok, and X, as well as an experiential Super Bowl celebration in New Orleans that would be attended by key opinion leaders in sports and entertainment.
RESULTS OVERVIEW
By collaborating with Popeyes to create a limited-time menu blending both brands’ heritage, Don Julio turned an organic social media phenomenon into a headline-worthy celebration.
The campaign drove unprecedented Tequila Don Julio Reposado sales—a 75% year-over-year increase—along with outsized earned media in both traditional and social media. It likewise generated a significant boost in website traffic and search interest for both Don Julio and Popeyes, along with a 3% increase in total sales for the restaurant chain.
All without a traditional ad buy.
BUSINESS RESULTS
BRAND RESULTS
