Summer is the biggest market for beer brands, especially for Corona Extra. Consumers can't wait for the warmer weather to arrive so they can relax and enjoy a chilled Corona on a patio. The challenge is how can Corona start summer early and get accounts to open their patio in the beginning of May and retailers to give them some floor space?

Rather than wait for the May two-four weekend, Corona set out to start summer early by adopting a new unofficial start to summer – Cinco De Mayo on May 5th. Corona started building up to Cinco De Mayo weeks earlier as the jumping off point for summer with a consistent call-to-action: ''Summer Starts with Cinco De Mayo'.

Corona got a head start on beer marketing by starting summer two months early. Billboards and interior TTC bus advertising drove awareness. Retailers were excited to have both a wooden base display and a 12-bottle cooler bag give-away two months earlier than the previous year. In all, 355,000 cooler bags flew off shelves.

The brand's experiential execution got over 100 bars to open their patios early. Starting in April, consumers who ordered a bucket of Corona were invited back to celebrate Cinco on May 5th at an exclusive party that included heated and decorated patios, music and DJs, promotions and giveaways.