Pacifico is putting unfinished products in the hands of the people most likely to use them.
The beer brand launched Pacifi-Go, a prototype series featuring three pieces of outdoor gear that change function after the main adventure ends.
- The Cold-One Coat becomes a beer bucket.
- The Kickback Kickstand turns a wakeboard into a bench.
- The Tall Boy Tent combines a backpack cooler with a beach shelter.
Pacifico is testing the concepts with athletes and outdoor creators, including Guenther Oka, Alex Hinson, and Brick Howse.
The group will document real-world use through Field Notes.
"Part design experiment and part outdoor field test, Pacifi-Go gives us an opportunity to turn the Pacifico spirit of 'keeping the adventure going' into something tangible."
"We didn't want to simply put our logo on existing gear," Royce Carvalho, senior marketing director at Pacifico, told DesignRush.
"We challenged ourselves to rethink outdoor essentials in a way that provided utility, was unexpected and distinctly Pacifico."
Fans can vote for their favorite concept and suggest ideas for future products.
The setup gives Pacifico a feedback loop where the audience can influence what the brand makes next.
3 Prototypes, 5 Wear Testers, No Production Date
Pacifi-Go treats product design as content, giving each prototype a story to follow.
The Cold-One Coat starts as a waterproof jacket with a removable hood.
Once the outdoor activity ends, the hood becomes a container for ice and drinks.
The Kickback Kickstand gives a wakeboard a second use as a campfire bench.
Finally, the Tall Boy Tent houses a compact beach shelter inside a backpack beer cooler.
Pacifico takes the concepts into wakeboarding, surfing, camping, and other outdoor settings through its Wear Testers.
Their Field Notes will cover performance, the transformation mechanics, and how useful each item is after the activity.
Fans can vote online for a favorite prototype, suggest future concepts, and follow the testers as they put the gear through actual use.
Pacifico is publishing the testing as it happens, giving fans something to follow on social before it picks which prototype gets a second round.
24% Growth Buys Room to Experiment
Pacifico entered the top 15 U.S. beer brands by dollar sales in 2024, according to Constellation Brands.
Circana data reported by Brewbound puts 2024 dollar sales at $434.65 million, up 24%, with volume up 22.7%.
The timing of the Pacifi-Go range gives the brand another way to engage consumers as it grows brand recognition outside of beer.
Pacifico learns how the gear holds up and which concept fans want before it spends money on a production run.
Insights from the campaign point to three useful principles:
- Testing creates better product signals. Brands should put experimental concepts in real environments to identify practical problems before wider investment.
- Participation can inform development. Teams should give audiences a specific decision to influence to generate feedback with a clear business use.
- Content can document the research process. Marketers should show products being tested to make experimentation useful as ongoing content.
When audience participation influences a product decision, branded content can generate useful market intelligence alongside attention.
Our Take: Can Pacifico Sell Beer With Gear It Won't Produce?
Prototype gear costs a fraction of a production run and generates the same coverage.
We think that Pacifi-Go can sell more beer, though not because anyone will own a Cold-One Coat.
The vote tells Pacifico which post-activity occasions its drinkers care about, useful in markets where the brand is still winning shelf space.
The gap is that Pacifico has not tied the vote to anything, so fans are picking a favorite with no timeline and no promise that the winner gets made.
Molson Coors put its Lager Luggage Collection on sale in May with Droga5, so fans who liked something could immediately buy it.
Pacifico is asking for the same enthusiasm with nothing for people to buy at the end.
The brand has the attention now, and what it does with the winning concept decides whether anyone shows up for the second one.
Looking to turn product testing into participatory campaigns with measurable audience feedback?
Explore these top experiential marketing agencies in the DesignRush directory.
