Imported into this country for over 20 years, the beer is brewed in Mazatlán, Mexico, near the Pacific Coast, and distributed by Crown Imports, a joint venture between Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands, an alcohol producer, importer and marketer. Crown Imports also distributes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Victoria beers from Mexico, and imports Tsingtao beer from China.
      
According to Jim Sabia, Crown Imports’ chief marketing officer, 5.5 million cases of Pacifico are sold annually in the United States, over 40 percent of them in California. Crown Imports’ goal, he said, is to increase sales to 10 million cases a year within 10 years. The beer is currently available in bottles in 50 states and on tap in 37.
      
With demand for craft and imported beers growing, Mr. Sabia said now was the “perfect time” for Pacifico to step up its marketing communications.
      
He said the new advertising, budgeted at $5 million for one year starting last month, is aimed at men ages 21 to 34.
      
According to Duff Stewart, chief executive of GSD&M, the Austin, Tex., agency that developed the new campaign, Pacifico’s target audience “is interested in things that are authentic, they’re really not interested in brands that talk at them. We wanted to create an authentic way to reach the target audience, compared to the heavy-handed, traditional approach. We are using the social aspect of Facebook to allow the target to discover Pacifico.”
      
Andy Miller, a creative director at GSD&M, added:
      
“Because Pacifico has a smaller budget than other brands, we wanted to tap into the social nature of Facebook. We’re trying to be more nimble with money.”

Thus, the new campaign resides primarily on Pacifico’s Facebook page and seeks to reflect the “state of Pacifico,” the laid-back, surfer mind-set of the beer’s original consumers in the United States.
To that end, the opening Facebook page says, “Welcome to the state of Pacifico. We’ve always believed that when it comes to life, the joy is in the journey. So we hit the road to explore some incredible places. Start exploring.”
      
The page contains a link to a map that in turn contains links to videos of unusual places and activities across the United States. Places and activities featured — both indoors and outdoors, urban and off the beaten track — include Lower Trestles surfing near San Clemente, Calif.; the Gold Runner Alpine Coaster in Breckenridge, Colo.; the airboat swamp tour in New Orleans; Wacko Soap Plant, a gift shop and art gallery in Hollywood, Calif.; Watts Towers, a group of sculptures in Los Angeles; a section of the Berlin Wall in Midtown Manhattan; and stand-up paddleboarding in Austin. GSD&M has created 35 videos that will be available on Pacifico’s Facebook page by Aug. 20; it plans to place a total of 50 there ultimately.
      
In addition, late last month the Facebook page began offering links to Web cameras that show live video of white-water kayaking on the Nantahala River in North Carolina; osprey nests in Bremen, Me.; and a stream in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Southern California.
      
“We’ve expanded the definition of what it means to be off the beaten track,” said Mr. Miller.
      
The Facebook page also lets fans create “an instant road trip” to explore the state of Pacifico. Fans enter their actual location, and the site uses Google Maps to create a random itinerary featuring three or four places on the Pacifico map. The route is displayed on the Pacifico map, with directions provided by Google; Pacifico fans can invite their Facebook friends to join them on their journey.
      
The Facebook page also contains photos taken at the annual U.S. Open of Surfing, held recently in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Pacifico has sponsored the event since 2010.
      
Beyond Facebook, online advertising will begin on Aug. 20. Pacifico will run banner ads on Web sites like TravelChannel.com, iExplore.com, UrbanDaddy.com and Thrillist.com. Ads will contain the campaign’s tagline, “Explore the state of Pacifico,” as well as an image of the beer’s label on a bottle and a glass.
      
In addition, Pacifico is running ads in alternative newspapers like San Diego CityBeat and The San Francisco Bay Guardian; these began last month and will run through October. Ads feature men surfing and the beer’s Web address, StateofPacifico.com; one also says, “End the day with more friends than regrets.”
      
Pacifico also began advertising on billboards and in hand-painted murals at various locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego last month; these ads will be up through 2012. A hand-painted mural in San Diego, for example, contains an image of Lower Trestles surfing in nearby San Clemente superimposed on the Pacifico map; it says, “A map for places you won’t find on a map. StateofPacifico.com.”