The best alcohol marketing campaigns build a character or a founder story, not just a product pitch. Dos Equis reported 111 percent volume growth over five years with its Most Interesting Man, and Diageo agreed to pay up to $610 million for Ryan Reynolds' Aviation Gin and up to $1 billion for Casamigos. Here are five alcohol campaigns, with what each one reported.
Last updated: October 31, 2026. Results are as reported by brands, agencies, awards bodies and the press, not independently audited.
In this guide
- Which alcohol campaigns made this list?
- Which alcohol campaign is best for each goal?
- What are the five best alcohol marketing campaigns?
- What do the best alcohol campaigns have in common?
- How can alcohol brands copy these campaigns?
- Where can you find more alcohol marketing guides?
- Frequently asked questions
Which alcohol campaigns made this list?
This list covers five campaigns in beer, tequila and gin: Dos Equis "The Most Interesting Man in the World," Heineken "Worlds Apart," Casamigos, Aviation Gin, and the 2026 return of the Dos Equis character. Each was chosen because an agency, brand, awards body or news outlet published details of what happened.
"Best" is a judgment call, so this is 5W's pick of campaigns with a clear mechanism, not a ranking by sales. Two of the five are measured by what a buyer paid for the brand, which is a business outcome and not a campaign metric. Dos Equis appears twice because the 2026 revival is a separate test of whether a famous campaign can be brought back.
| Campaign | Brand | Idea | Reported result |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Most Interesting Man in the World (2007 to 2016) | Dos Equis | A fictional adventurer who does not always drink beer | 111% volume growth over five years |
| Worlds Apart (2017) | Heineken | Strangers with opposing views build something together | More than 40 million views, per LIONS |
| Casamigos (founded 2013) | Casamigos | A tequila brand started by celebrity friends | Bought by Diageo in 2017 for up to $1 billion |
| Aviation Gin (from 2018) | Aviation | A celebrity co-owner who markets the brand himself | Volume up more than 100% in 2019 |
| Most Interesting Man revival (2026) | Dos Equis | The original character returns after nearly a decade | Too early to judge |
Which alcohol campaign is best for each goal?
The best alcohol campaign depends on the goal: Dos Equis for sustained sales growth in a flat category, Heineken for brand meaning and earned reach, Casamigos for a founder-led launch, Aviation for a creative owner who runs the marketing, and the 2026 revival for reviving a dormant icon. The table matches each goal to the case with the clearest published evidence. The matches are 5W's reading of public information.
| If your goal is... | Look at | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| Steady growth in a flat category | Dos Equis | Sales growth of more than 20% in 2012, per a Cannes Lions entry |
| Brand meaning and earned reach | Heineken Worlds Apart | More than 40 million views at the time of Cannes 2017 |
| A founder-led launch | Casamigos | Acquired by Diageo four years after founding |
| A creative owner as the marketer | Aviation Gin | 40% of US super-premium gin growth in 2019, per Diageo |
| Reviving an old icon | Dos Equis 2026 | Announced January 2026 as beer sales struggled |
What are the five best alcohol marketing campaigns?
The five campaigns below run from a long-running ad character to a gin brand that sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.
1. Dos Equis "The Most Interesting Man in the World"
Heineken USA and the agency Havas Worldwide New York, then called Euro RSCG, launched The Most Interesting Man in the World for Dos Equis in 2007, according to a Havas and Heineken USA release. The character did not always drink beer, but when he did, he preferred Dos Equis. A Cannes Lions entry says the campaign began in Dos Equis's heartland markets and went national in 2009.
The campaign won a Gold Effie in the Sustained Success category in 2013. The release reports that volume grew 111% over the five years the campaign had run, while the Mexican beer category declined, and that Dos Equis became the first beer brand to reach 1 million Facebook fans in 2011. The Cannes Lions entry reports sales growth of more than 20% in 2012.
Why it works: The character gave the brand a personality in a category where beers look alike, and the line "stay thirsty, my friends" spread beyond the ads.
2. Heineken "Worlds Apart"
Heineken released Worlds Apart in 2017 to bring its "Open Your World" tagline to life. According to Edelman, the film secretly brought together people with opposite views, let them bond, and then revealed who they were. Edelman and Publicis London created it, and LIONS reported that it won a Bronze Lion in the Cyber category at Cannes Lions that year.
LIONS reported more than 40 million views across social channels at the time of writing, and Edelman's own case reports more than 50 million. The agency also reports 15 million organic views in eight days before paid media began and a 7.3% increase in UK beer sales in the 12 weeks after launch. The sales figure comes from Edelman's case film and is not independently verified.
Why it works: The film put people, not beer, at the center, so viewers shared it for the idea and the brand benefited from the sharing.
3. Casamigos: a tequila brand started by friends
Casamigos was co-founded in 2013 by actor George Clooney and Rande Gerber, according to Fortune. Diageo bought the brand in 2017 in a deal worth up to $1 billion, according to Bloomberg and The Guardian. The sale price is the clearest published result, because the brand's growth and the founders' public profile were one story.
The case differs from an endorsement deal because the founders owned the brand, so the marketing and the ownership pointed the same way. The published figure describes the sale, not the marketing, so the price is evidence of brand value and not proof of what advertising caused.
Why it works: A founder who owns the brand has a reason to promote it that buyers can understand.
4. Aviation Gin: a celebrity co-owner who runs the marketing
Ryan Reynolds became co-owner of Aviation American Gin in February 2018, according to The Guardian, and grew it with his company, Maximum Effort Marketing, according to Beverage Dynamics. Diageo said Aviation grew volumes by more than 100% in 2019 and contributed 40% of super-premium gin segment growth in the United States, according to Drinks Trade.
Diageo announced on August 17, 2020 that it would buy Aviation and its parent Davos Brands in a deal worth up to $610 million. That figure was an initial $335 million plus up to $275 million based on performance over 10 years, according to Fortune. Reynolds kept an ownership interest in the brand, and Diageo's chief executive, Ivan Menezes, described the deal as part of a strategy to acquire high-growth brands with attractive margins, according to The Guardian.
Why it works: The owner's own creative company made the marketing, so the brand's tone stayed consistent and its cost stayed low.
5. The 2026 return of the Most Interesting Man
Dos Equis announced on January 16, 2026 that it would revive The Most Interesting Man after a decade off the air, according to CNN. CNN reported that the move came as Dos Equis sales struggled, and that Heineken 0.0 was the only Heineken-owned beer to register growth. The brand hopes a familiar face can help it hold or grow share.
American Craft Beer noted that the revival is a calculated bet on brand storytelling in a fragmented market and that whether it can reverse the sales decline remains to be seen. No sales result has been published, so this case is included as a test, not a proven win.
Why it works: The character still has public recognition, so the brand starts with a known asset. Whether recognition turns into sales is the open question.
What do the best alcohol campaigns have in common?
The five campaigns each tied a spirit or beer to a person or an idea that audiences could repeat, whether a fictional adventurer, a social experiment or a founder's story.
| Approach | Campaigns on this list | What the audience sees |
|---|---|---|
| A character | Dos Equis, 2007 and 2026 | A figure who stands for a way of living |
| An idea with a point of view | Heineken Worlds Apart | Strangers with different views finding common ground |
| A founder who owns the brand | Casamigos, Aviation | A named person with a stake in the product |
The risk is that two of the five results are sale prices, not marketing returns, and one is a 2026 bet with no published outcome. Alcohol advertising is also regulated, so claims, audiences and creator disclosures should go through counsel before launch.
How can alcohol brands copy these campaigns?
Alcohol brands can copy these campaigns by choosing one repeatable idea, such as a character, a point of view or a founder story, and keeping it consistent across channels.
- Create a character or phrase that people can repeat, as Dos Equis did with "stay thirsty, my friends."
- Build a film around people and an idea, with the product in the background, as Heineken did with Worlds Apart.
- Tell a founder's reason for starting the brand, as Casamigos did.
- Keep creative work close to the owner when the owner has a point of view, as Reynolds did with Aviation.
- Record sales and volume before launch, so any result can be stated as a change and not a total, and have counsel review claims.
Where can you find more alcohol marketing guides?
Alcohol marketing overlaps with holiday campaigns, spirits brand work and tequila launches, so several 5W pages sit close to this one. See the roundup of holiday alcohol marketing campaigns, 5W's alcohol marketing and PR practice and the 1800 Tequila case study.
For campaign results across other industries, see the top 25 PR campaigns ranked by results, and for another category with strong brand stories, the best toy marketing campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
Which alcohol campaign reported the biggest result?
Casamigos reported the largest sale price, up to $1 billion from Diageo in 2017, according to Bloomberg. That is the value of the brand, not a measure of the marketing alone.
Which alcohol campaign ran the longest?
The Dos Equis Most Interesting Man campaign launched in 2007 and was off the air for nearly a decade before it returned in January 2026, according to CNN and American Craft Beer.
Are the alcohol campaign results verified?
No. The figures come from agency releases, awards entries, company statements and press reports. Heineken's UK sales figure comes from the agency's own case film, so treat each number as reported.
Why does Dos Equis appear twice on this list?
The original campaign and the 2026 revival are separate tests. The first has published growth figures, and the second is a bet on bringing an old character back as sales fall.
Can a smaller alcohol brand copy a celebrity founder model?
A smaller brand can copy the logic by putting a founder with a genuine story at the center of marketing. It cannot copy the reach of a film star, so the story needs to be specific and true.
