Constellation had already spent $900m on the $1.4bn project, which now cannot be completed. It is safe to say that a lengthy furlough awaits them. Unlike making wine in France or beer in the United States, brewing in Mexico was declared “non-essential”. Individuals don’t win the America’s Cup. Some are known for winning. There, culture is seen as synonymous with the country's national identity, with its almost arrogant self-belief, … “Corona” is not uniquely tied to the beer, which shares its name with a neighbourhood in New York and the sun’s aura; corona is also Spanish for “crown”. Mexico’s beloved brand must now share its name with a pandemic, Editor’s note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter.
Nevertheless, there have been many individuals who have cast more than just a passing shadow across the Auld Mug. At best, that may dilute Corona’s escape-to-the-beach message. Unlike branding for other beers, which merely invited drinkers to unwind, Corona offered escape.
Others are known for what they bring, be it passion, rivalry, infamy, or controversy. To change the name of such a powerful brand would be dangerous, too. Start with a brutal clash of names a century in the making. Of those, 76% voted to scupper the plant.
"It was an art before. Grupo Modelo began producing Corona in Mexico City in the 1920s. PICTURE THIS.
For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hub. Save for Huawei, a Chinese telecoms mammoth, Corona is the most valuable global brand not from the rich world, according to Interbrand, a consultant. The crown that adorns the beer’s label and bottle-cap first appeared in 1963. Corona took advantage of loosening trade barriers to enter new markets, and became a national ambassador for Mexico in faraway places. Conner’s first Cup was 1974, he was the new kid from California, entering an event dominated by East Coast tradition. A brand’s power lies in its ability to trigger subconscious associations in consumers’ minds. That forged a path for other Mexican wares, from tequilas to tacos, to be branded as “high-end”. Newsnight's Alan Little takes a journey through parts of America where support for gun ownership is high and even school teachers are known to carry concealed weapons. In 1980 he raised the trophy once again, but in 1983, he gained infamy for becoming the first American skipper to lose the Cup since the yacht America’s seminal victory in 1851. Any public recognition of the association between the virus and the beer is a no-no. Before retiring after the 2003 match, Conner would compete in 9 America’s Cup campaigns but his sailing career spreads throughout all sailing disciplines. “By acknowledging it you strengthen it,” says Mr Meyvis. Corona’s social-media team stopped posting on March 13th. Its makers changed its name. The term is now a battlefield on which glamour and calamity collide. For some people, they have become synonymous. It is a happy story curtailed by the unlucky events of 2020. Those who know Corona note that it has defied the odds to reach the top. The coronavirus group bided its time. Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2020. Fields of dirt were soon to become car parks and offices for the plant’s 3,000 workers. Its distinctive petal-like patterns on its edges “recall[ed] the solar corona”, wrote Nature in 1968.