Ken Jeong Pokes Fun at Tall Tequila Bottles in Espolòn Campaign

(Photo: Espolòn)

“The Masked Singer” and “Community” star Ken Jeong is joining forces with Espolòn Tequila to toast Short King Week  — apparently a real thing that happens every year between May 1 and May 9, conveniently sandwiching Cinco de Mayo smack dab in the middle.

On Tuesday, the actor (height: 5-foot-5) kicked off a series of tongue-in-cheek parody videos celebrating fellow short king Espolòn (height: 11.5 inches). The footage shows Jeong dangling his legs off a barstool, cozying up in an airplane seat and squeezing into a photo booth, all while insisting that quality has nothing to do with height. In an especially telling shot, a row of whitelabeled “Tall Influencer Tequila” bottles is foregrounded by a bottle of Espolòn as Jeong declares: “Forget small, I have king-sized takes!”

The campaign doesn’t mention any competitors by name, but the implication is clear. Nearly foot-and-a-half-tall splurges like Don Julio 1942 and Clase Azul have dominated the tequila market over the past few years, riding the premiumization wave into clubs, Instagram feeds and celebrity red carpet sightings. Though these kinds of bottles are largely shunned by agave enthusiasts and critics, they represent a lucrative niche in the market, one that has gotten increasingly popular in the social media era.

“I feel very seen by this campaign,” Jeong said in a news release. “As someone who’s never exactly been the tallest guy in the room, I appreciate any movement that celebrates confidence over height.”

“What I love about Espolòn is that they don’t take themselves too seriously – they’re just focused on making great tequila and are having fun with it. That energy felt incredibly relatable to me. Finally, some branding I don’t have to look up to!” Jeong added.

In tandem with the campaign, Espolòn is releasing a Nine Days of Shorts Kings advent calendar that cuts down the traditional month-long format to little over a week. The limited-edition set describes itself as a celebration of all things fun-sized. It contains 375-milliliter bottles of the brand’s Blanco and Reposado, a mini cocktail shaker, a jigger, agave syrup, chili-lime and salt garnishes, sour candy mix and a deck of “Short King-approved playing cards” (based on promo images, each card looks to be about an inch or two tall).

“Short King Week is a natural extension of how we’ve always approached the category,” Brian Chang, Agave Spirits U.S. Category Lead at Campari America, added.  “Tequila and society often fixate on appearance. Espolòn focuses on what’s inside, and this campaign brings that idea to life with humor and an unapologetic point of view. Ken embodies that spirit, and together we’re celebrating Short Kings everywhere.”