Why 818 Tequila tapped a NASCAR driver to accelerate cultural marketing

Founded in 2021 by Kendall Jenner, 818 Tequila has looked to distinguish itself by mixing a cocktail of spirits, fashion and digital culture to woo Gen Z and millennial consumers. The approach is working: While the tequila category grew 2% in volume in 2024, 818 saw 40% year-over-year volume growth, per data shared by the brand. 

The brand’s latest effort adds a shot of sports to its marketing. Last week, 818 announced its first national sports partnership, teaming with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger, a 25-year-old star in each motor sports and fashion. For the brand, the collaboration serves several needs.

“Alcohol is a ground game — it’s all in regards to the market — and NASCAR is basically prevalent in a lot of those markets that we’re super-focused on at once,” said CMO Kathleen Braine. “Also, because we’re empowering a female driver in NASCAR, it’s really aligned to what Kendall has experienced as a female founder within the alcohol space. There’s a lot of alignment there.”

A vehicle for trailblazing

Breidinger is the primary Arab-American woman to compete in NASCAR and holds a record for essentially the most top-ten finishes by a female driver. She’s also the game’s most-followed driver, with greater than 5 million followers, and has partnered with brands including Gatorade, Celsius and Raising Cane’s. Her team reached out to 818 to initiate the deal.

“Sports partnerships, especially with alcohol, are really competitive, and we’re a really small brand, so it’s exciting that she was enthusiastic about partnering with us and felt that we were the appropriate brand for her,” Braine said.

The brand will takeover the Nashville Speedway race on May 30 as Breidinger’s primary sponsor and host an exclusive VIP experience and after-party on the event, and 818 branding might be featured on Breidinger’s automobile and racing gear throughout the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Along with an alignment of values, the partnership has a visual throughline as well.

“Vehicles have been a part of our aesthetic and our marketing because the very starting,” Braine said. “We even have a Nineteen Nineties-2000s…style in our marketing — a lot of that’s drawn from how NASCAR does branding.”

Amplifying experiences

The experiential elements of 818’s partnership with Breidinger display what the brand has learned from other activations. The brand has been involved with Coachella for years and every iteration has seen an evolution of its efforts, from a gas station-themed pop-up in 2022 to an event for 1,500 attendees featuring a major musical act this month. The 818 Outpost is a model for bringing together consumers, influencers and trade partners.

“We’re searching for each their experience on that day to be perfect, after which also to see how that content can resonate with a broader audience nationally via social media,” Braine said.

The 818 Outpost also included a pop-up element sponsored by Sprinter, the ready-to-drink vodka soda that’s 818’s sister brand in additional ways than one: the brand was founded by Kendall’s sister Kylie Jenner and, like 818, falls under the umbrella of the Calabasas Beverage Co. Braine, who’s CMO for each brands, looks for marketing opportunities for a pair of beverages geared toward different drinking occasions.

“The branding could be very different. 818’s aesthetic could be very specific, and Sprinter has a bolder, sportier branding, but they work together very well once they need to, from a branding standpoint,” the manager said. “We like to have them each get their moments to shine when it is sensible.”