Dive Brief:
- Modelo is making its largest investment in college football to date with the “It’s Not Just Game Day. It’s Tradition.” brand platform, according to a press release.
- The platform, which is timed to the start of the 2026-27 season, is supported by an 18% year-over-year increase in media investment. It includes three brand spots and media partnerships with Fox, ESPN and Barstool Sports, to support Modelo’s presence in college football culture.
- The effort will span social and digital media, sportsbook, rideshare and delivery and broadcast platforms. The beer brand, which is owned by Constellation Brands in the U.S., is also partnering with Homefield to create co-branded merchandise, activations and content.
Dive Insight:
Modelo, the official beer sponsor of the College Football Playoff, continues its efforts to make inroads with the mainstream beer market via a new college football-centric brand platform. The brand has invested heavily in sports sponsorships in recent years as Modelo Especial attempts to maintain its title as the top-selling beer by dollar sales, while facing stiff competition from sports-oriented brand Michelob Ultra, the top-selling beer by volume.
Three new spots put an emphasis on the traditions surrounding college football. In “Same Time, Next Year,” two friends on opposing sides of the heated Michigan and Ohio State rivalry meet every year to watch the game. In “Texting,” a daughter and father text each other while the University of Oregon plays. “Taste of the Tailgate” shows fans using Modelo products for game-day cooking.
In addition to the spots, which will run throughout the season across major networks and conferences, Modelo will appear in games and highlights on ESPN through the playoffs. The brand will also serve as the beer sponsor of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” and both the beer and presenting sponsor of Barstool Sports’ “Mostly Sports with Mark Titus and Brandon Walker.” The Barstool Sports partnership will include weekly segments, in-studio signage and social content.
Retail activations include limited-edition packaging featuring partner schools in select markets, along with giveaways. Fans can enter by scanning in-store signage or by visiting a dedicated landing page.
“It’s Not Just Game Day. It’s Tradition.” is a departure from the brand’s previous college football efforts. Notably, it does not include the brand character “The Recruiter,” who was first introduced in 2024 and featured in the 2025 campaign, “Full-Time Fans.” That campaign was backed by a 20% YoY media investment increase. In 2025, Modelo increased its college basketball ad spending by 48%. During the World Cup, the brand increased U.S. pro soccer spending by 125% compared to the previous season.
Modelo Especial has faced significant challenges as a brand in recent years. In the fiscal quarter ending June 30, Constellation reported that depletions, or the rate at which alcohol leaves a distributor's warehouse, fell approximately 2% for Modelo Especial, according to an earnings release. This contributed to an overall company depletion decline of 0.3%. During an earnings call, Nicholas Fink, president, CEO and director of Constellation Brands indicated the company is not done scaling Modelo Especial. “Unaided awareness is remarkably low” for the brand, he said.
