What it had to solve
Reflect Patrón's attention to craft by drawing parallels between del Toro's meticulous filmmaking and the brand's production philosophy.
The idea
Make the generic spirit pour shot a film set, with the director's skeleton crew as the craft behind it, mirroring Patrón's small-batch process.
How it works
The 30-second spot opens with an ordinary product shot; when del Toro calls 'cut', a crew of colourful skeletons arrives to help on set, each with a stylised design nodding to Mexican heritage. The skeletons were built from motion capture by performance specialist Terry Notary, then transformed by creature designer Guy Davis and VFX supervisor Dennis Berardi. Del Toro worked with a handpicked Mexican-led crew including cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and sound designer Nathan Robitaille. It premiered during ESPN's Warriors vs Celtics broadcast.
What it did
Campaign US reported the 18 March 2026 launch and gave no results. The campaign will roll out across TV, online video, digital and social, extend to Mexico, Australia, Canada and the UK later in the year, and include behind-the-scenes content on del Toro's process.
Background
On 18 March 2026 Patrón launched The Perfect Pour, a short film directed by Guillermo del Toro with agency BBH USA. It is his TV commercial directing debut and continues a first product endorsement with Patrón from 2017.
Campaign US wrote that the film positions del Toro's filmmaking as a mirror of Patrón's small-batch production philosophy, arguing the most compelling story a tequila brand can tell is how it is made. Del Toro said he believes in 'artistry over industry'. The skeleton characters are the visual hook: a reveal that turns an ordinary shot into a set full of working crew.
Why it lands
A director's skeleton crew gives the 'craft' claim a memorable visual.
Mexican-led crew and design cues tie the film to the brand's origin.
Starting from a plain pour shot makes the reveal land.
What you can take
When a category is crowded with endorsements, putting the celebrity's real craft to work makes the brand's craft claim believable.
Since then
The report notes planned international rollout and behind-the-scenes content, and records no results.
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