In the past year, the beer industry has experienced a huge increase in the number of small craft breweries throughout the U.S., disturbing larger beer giants’ profits. 

However, one large brewing company isn’t hurting at all. In the past year alone, the Corona brand actually experienced 4 percent growth. In spite of the incredible competition from smaller, local breweries, it’s able to increase profits all thanks to brilliant branding.

According to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article (read it here), Corona’s growth goes against the norm. The brew is consistently ranked very low on taste-test scales by beer critics and consumers (Rate Beer ranked Corona 1.69 on a scale from one to 10), yet Corona sells more product than any other imported beer in the country. How does the brand keep its customers coming back for more, despite the product’s allegedly bad taste?

1. It uses consistent messaging and branding. Think of a Corona ad and you instantly picture a beach, limes and bikinis. The brand doesn’t waste it’s time pushing ingredients, taste or any other aspect of beer that competitors advertise. It sets itself apart by focusing on a single aspect of the beer consistently.

2. It created year-long demand. The brand’s “Where’s your beach?” campaign urges drinkers to think of Corona as a year-long drink as opposed to just a summertime beach-side drink for July 4th or Cinco de Mayo. Its parent company, Constellation Brands, even teamed up with Butterball in November, when Butterball’s call center representatives suggested Corona to drink with turkey (seriously) on Thanksgiving .

3. It branches audiences together Corona uses ads showing rooftop parties that target younger drinkers in their 20s and separate ads directed towards the 35+ age group with married couples enjoying a quieter bar scene. The brand has also released a series of commercials connecting the two groups – instead of isolating themselves from an entire generation of potential customers, Corona and Constellation Brands have successfully made drinkers of different age groups feel included.

Corona is selling us an escape from reality, even if that reality isn’t a beach, and it certainly keeps us coming back for more.