
Patrón Tequila has launched an experiential activation that takes Canadians to a luxurious desert oasis in Mexico, while promoting the brand’s new tequila, Patrón El Alto, which is coming to Ontario store shelves this fall.
The “Patrón 360” activation is an 88 x 88-foot dome with real sand, oversized video projections, 3D maps of Mexico’s agave fields and the Aurora Borealis, live DJ sets and a variety of Patrón tequila cocktails for those who visit. It opened in Montreal earlier this month and is in Toronto July 26 and 27.
Bacardi Canada marketing director Rahel Lippert tells MiC that the activation was based on the idea that Canadians are constantly looking for moments of escape. “Times are tough but everyone still deserves the ability to experience the joy a moment of luxury can bring. Through this multisensory desert escape, Patrón intends to bring that feeling to our guests.”
Lippert notes that by bringing a tech-forward activation to Montreal and Toronto, two of the biggest summertime destinations, and combining it with a selection of tequila-based cocktails, the brand is looking to keep Patrón at the top of consumers’ minds during the warmest months of the year.
In particular, the company is looking to reach ambitious people, passionate about personal development, committed to excellence, hungry for achievement and in search of authenticity, says Lippert, explaining that Patrón build’s all of its activations around those audience characteristics.
“Patrón 360 is a manifestation of the brand’s commitment to luxury, craftsmanship and innovation,” she says. “It’s important for us to make inroads with our demographic to provide them an authentic way to engage with a brand that believes in the same values as them.”

The activation also builds on Patrón’s previous summer initiatives in Canada. In 2022, for example, the brand launched an immersive activation in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver with the goal of bringing Tulum’s beach clubs to Canadian cities.
Looking ahead, Lippert says the team will continue to create new activations to engage its Canadian customers and also showcase its commitment to a meticulous, handcrafted production process to deliver quality tequila.
The activation is being promoted through a combination of paid and earned media. Simultaneously, the brand partnered with influencers and launched a high-frequency, conversion-focused paid media campaign that drove ticket sales for the experience up, according to Lippert.
“We chose this mix, with a focus on high frequency social, because social allowed us the opportunity to really show consumers the value of this experience through multimedia. The space is highly visual, so it only made sense to lean into a visual medium,” she says. “To fill the content pipeline, we created high quality video renders of the space, giving consumers a taste of what was to come.”
Community handles digital media buying, experience, strategy and creative, while OMD handles digital media video buying. Meat & Produce Agency is in charge of influencers and publicity.