Beach please: Corona crowns world’s best beaches for 100th birthday

To celebrate its 100^th birthday, popular beer brand Corona fully leans into its association with beach culture. The AB InBev brand—which proclaims that it’s synonymous with the beach—launched a new platform that includes a film to highlight 100 years of beach culture.

The branded film, titled ‘This is Living Since 1925’ sports an archival look-and-feel to depict beach culture throughout the century. It shows the beginnings of beach gatherings via black-and-white footage all the way to present-day swimming and surfing culture. The film, created with partner agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, aims to portray Corona’s assimilation with beach culture though the decades.

On top of that, the brand created it’s a list of top 100 beaches in the world to include hidden coves and iconic coastlines. To build the guide, Corona brought together a panel of ‘beach experts’ comprised of oceanographers, surfers, free divers, and other nature enthusiasts who rated hundreds of the world’s beached using a pre-determined set of criteria. Each beach in the list is rated between one to three sun logos based on three elements: beachside culture, connection to nature, and scenic aesthetics.

Beaches in APAC that are included in the list, include, Indonesia’s Pink Beach, Philippines’ Cloud 9 Beach, Malaysia’s Sipadan Island, and China’s Yalong Bay. Perhaps most appealing to fans, Corona is offering the chance to visit some of the featured beaches on the list by encouraging them to purchasing a special-edition anniversary pack and scanning the QR code.

Finally, as part of its centennial celebrations, Corona will take over the Copacabana Beach in Rio De Janeiro as a marquee sponsor of a concert—slated for May 3—taking place along the beach’s shoreline. The brand also a signed multi-year sponsorship of the renowned concert.

Clarissa Pantoja, global VP of Corona, said in a statement: “Enjoyed by millions around the world today and still growing, Corona will always remain unwavering in its commitment to the beach. This anniversary is not just a celebration of our legacy, but also a call for everyone to embrace their best side—the beach side—both now and for the next 100 years to follow.”

The platform also features new digital, trade, and OOH assets. In APAC, there will be additional centennial celebrations throughout 2025.

Campaign’s take: The fact that Corona is so strongly associated with the beach is a huge boon to the brand. There’s no shortage of aspirational, visually appealing content for Corona to lean into when it comes to beach culture and coming up with a list of the world’s best beaches is a clever way of tapping into that. Plus, giving fans the chance to visit some of these beaches is a simple, surefire way of grabbing attention to the list and its limited-edition merchandise. The film, meanwhile, is not groundbreaking in any sense but is charming enough to mark the legacy of an indisputably refreshing beachside beverage.