Entrant Company
Rethink & Droga5
Entry Type
Product/Service
Category
Specific Target Audience
Coors Light is not an official NFL sponsor which makes it challenging to penetrate the league's marketing landscape due to strict sponsorship rules and exorbitant costs. However, a serendipitous moment during a nationally televised game provided an unexpected opportunity. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, while calling a play, audibly shouted "Coors Light, Coors Light!" The broadcast picked it up, the announcers repeated it, and the internet went wild.
Recognizing the potential, within 24 hours, we launched a reactive social media post on Coors Lights owned channels. This snowballed into a full 360-degree campaign within a week, perfectly timed for a Steelers Monday Night Football game. The campaign was composed of: digital out-of-home ads targeted around the stadium, on-premise activations, limited-edition “Coors Light, Coors Light!” cans, and even re-editing the brand's Monday Night Football commercial to include the viral call.
The campaign's impact was substantial; earning over 199 million in earned media impressions which resulted in 100% positive sentiment, and a 21x increase in Coors Light brand mentions, surpassing the official NFL beer sponsor.The most impressive part, the campaign successfully circumvented NFL sponsorship restrictions resulting in zero lawsuits.
By capitalizing on a spontaneous moment and creatively leveraging it, Coors Light became the unofficial beer of football, demonstrating the power of reactive marketing and integrated campaigns.