The Coors Brewing Company has launched a new campaign to support its new Coors Light “cold-activated” cans.
Later this month, Coors will introduce eight-, 10-, 12- and 16-ounce Coors Light and Coors Banquet in the cans, which let drinkers know when the beer is at the optimal drinking temperature by turning the mountain design on the can blue. The strategy behind the new cans ties into the brand’s promise to be the “World’s Most Refreshing Beer.”?
“Consumers want to know when their beer is cold and ready to drink, and beer retailers certainly want to avoid serving warm beer,” said Royce Wills, marketing director at Coors Light. “[With this product], consumers never have to worry about getting a warm beer again.”?
The marketing program, which began April 26, is twofold. The first phase is centered on building buzz for a “cold front” that is promised to be “coming in.” The idea behind this phase of the marketing is to create a teaser feeling similar to a summer blockbuster and even employs the “This Summer” tag line. ?
“We’ve stolen a page right out of the movie industry for this marketing strategy,” said Wills. “The idea is to get consumers and everybody excited about this product. This is kind of unprecedented for this kind of campaign, we’ve never done such a big campaign for a product launch.” ?
This prelaunch includes an interactive site, www.thecoldfront.org, which lets consumers over age 21 track the cold front’s progress through reported sightings and news updates. The site includes news, videos and a social aspect.?
“Our target consumers, 21- to 30-year-olds, spend a lot of time online,” Wills said. “They’ll check in online all day, so we have links into all of those destinations that we know that they visit, such as Facebook.” ?
The second phase, which supports the same “cold front” messaging, rolls out May 15 and includes TV, out-of-home and print. There also will be parties in select markets when the products enter the marketplace, along with retail and in-store promotions. ?
To take advantage of the summer season, which is key for the beer industry, the campaign runs through August 1, Wills said. l?
