Astral Tequila is tapping into the rise of microdramas with “It’s Midnight Somewhere,” a five-part social series tied to Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming Practical Magic 2.
Produced in partnership with Merman and directed by Madelaine Turner, the series stars real-life sisters Brooks and Grace Ann Nader and extends the franchise’s familiar “midnight margaritas” tradition into a branded social story built around humor, mystery and sisterly chaos.
The campaign also introduces the Astral Midnight Margarita, positioning the tequila as part of the narrative rather than simply a product placement.
“Microdramas are a very effective format for brand storytelling, and this project is the type of brand-inspired entertainment that Merman specializes in,” said Kira Carstensen, global managing director at Merman.
Carstensen said Astral Tequila and Practical Magic 2 are woven directly into the story, giving the work equal footing as both entertainment and branded content. Watch below:
Turner said the episodic format created more room to build character and encourage viewers to return for each installment. “Creatively, the microdrama format gave us room to really play,” Turner noted. “We established characters and a world and gave audiences a reason to come back for the next episode.”
She added that the chemistry between the Nader sisters helped give the series its emotional core.
“They tease each other, they have completely different personalities, but there’s always that underlying closeness,” Turner said. “That felt like such a natural fit for a story built around sisterhood and connection.”
For Astral, the campaign also connects the brand to the social ritual at the heart of the film.
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“The ‘Midnight Margaritas’ tradition embodies the same energy that’s at the heart of Astral Tequila: the best nights are made brighter by the people you share them with,” said Jenn Rapp, director, portfolio tequila & mezcal at Diageo North America.
Turner brings a creator-first sensibility to the work. The Los Angeles-based writer, director and content creator has built a following of more than 480,000 on TikTok, where her period-inspired, pop-culture-driven videos have generated millions of views. Her commercial work includes campaigns for Target, Walmart and HomeGoods, along with collaborations with Adobe, Gucci, PlayStation and Dolby.
All five episodes of “It’s Midnight Somewhere” are live across Astral Tequila’s YouTube Shorts, Instagram and TikTok channels.
The campaign arrives as microdramas continue gaining traction as a social format, giving brands a way to tell serialized stories with cliffhangers and recurring characters in the same short-form environments where younger audiences are already spending time.
CREDITS:
Production Company: Merman
Director: Madelaine Turner
PR AGENCY: HUNTER
TALETN AGENCY: starpower
BRAND TEAM: Astral Tequila
ENTERTAINMENT PARTNER: Warner Bros.
