Corona: The Match of Ages
During the 2020 lockdown, Corona Mexico faced a massive sales slump due to the suspension of live soccer. They tasked We Believers with finding a way to reconnect with fans and drive beer consumption without filming new content. The goal was to provide entertainment that felt as significant as a live "Clásico" match to a nation stuck at home.
Creative Idea
Edited 70 years of historical footage into a brand-new, 90-minute "live" soccer broadcast.
Corona restored the joy of soccer during the pandemic by meticulously editing 70 years of archival footage into a brand-new, 90-minute "live" broadcast of Mexico's biggest rivalry, satisfying the nation's hunger for sports while driving record beer sales.
Turning 70 Years of Archives into a Live Event
45 Days of Editing 24/7
To create a seamless 90-minute broadcast, a team of 20+ editors led by Diego Panich and director Jorge Malpica undertook a grueling marathon. They analyzed over 75 hours of footage from 50+ historical matches spanning seven decades. The technical challenge was immense: they had to synchronize ball trajectories, player movements, and field positions across different film speeds and grain qualities. The result was a coherent narrative that included fouls, saves, and a dramatic 14-14 draw between rivals Club América and Chivas Guadalajara.
Reselling History for Relief
In a brilliant move of digital restoration and monetization, the team edited the historical sideline billboards. By replacing or strategically framing old advertisements, Corona sold this "historical space" to modern partners like Aeroméxico, Jumex, and Nescafé. This initiative raised over $2 million for COVID-19 frontline workers. Alejandro Gershberg, Marketing Director for Corona Mexico, noted that the project helped keep 30,000 employees in work by stimulating demand during a period when bars and stadiums were shuttered.
A Record Breaking Digital Stadium
The broadcast became the most-watched "Clásico" in history, attracting 12.3 million live viewers on Televisa’s *Canal de las Estrellas* and social platforms. It generated a 54% increase in weekly sales and dominated the cultural conversation as the #1 trending topic in Mexico. With 109 million earned impressions and 98% positive sentiment, the campaign proved that archival content could be transformed into a high-stakes "live" entertainment platform, featuring legends like Hugo Sánchez and Rafael Márquez playing together across time.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Corona's deep archive of historical soccer footage and its long-standing association with Mexico's national sport.
Category
Sports broadcasting usually relies on live events or simple replays, leaving a massive void when live games were suspended.
Customer
Mexican soccer fans felt a deep sense of loss and boredom during lockdown, craving the communal excitement of a live match.
Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic halted all live entertainment, creating a captive audience desperate for a shared cultural experience.
Company
Corona's deep archive of historical soccer footage and its long-standing association with Mexico's national sport.
Category
Sports broadcasting usually relies on live events or simple replays, leaving a massive void when live games were suspended.
Strategy:
Transform archival assets into a live event format to satisfy a collective cultural craving for shared ritual.
Customer
Mexican soccer fans felt a deep sense of loss and boredom during lockdown, craving the communal excitement of a live match.
Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic halted all live entertainment, creating a captive audience desperate for a shared cultural experience.
Strategy:
Transform archival assets into a live event format to satisfy a collective cultural craving for shared ritual.
Results
The campaign achieved a 54% increase in weekly sales during the week of the game. It became the #1 trending topic in Mexico, generating 79% more social media mentions than any previous 'Clásico' match. Sentiment was overwhelmingly positive at 98%. The project resulted in the highest earned media ever for Corona Mexico. Additionally, the brand raised funds for COVID-19 relief by selling 'on-field' advertisement space within the edited historical footage to other brands. The format was so successful it was adopted as a new entertainment platform for AB InBev across other markets and sports.
54%
increase in weekly sales
98%
positive sentiment
79%
more social mentions than any previous Clásico
Strategy Technique
Hijack a Moment
Corona occupied the exact time slot of the cancelled national classic, turning a void in the cultural calendar into a brand-owned event that felt as urgent and exciting as live sports.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Spacetime Warp
By blending 70 years of historical footage into a single seamless broadcast, the campaign collapsed decades of sports history into a present-day event, creating a "new" experience from old memories.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's brilliance lies in its technical audacity, transforming decades of disparate archival footage into a seamless, believable 90-minute narrative.
The seamless stitching of 70 years of footage with varying frame rates and resolutions into a coherent 90-minute match is a monumental technical feat.
The use of motion tracking and digital compositing to insert modern advertisements into historical footage created a unique revenue stream for charity.
Securing a primetime national broadcast for a 'manufactured' game treated it with the gravity of a real live event.
The deep dive into 50 years of archives to find matching player trajectories and speeds shows an incredible commitment to authenticity.
The synergy between the technical editing and the strategic media placement turned a 'clip show' into a national cultural event.
