The beverage company will run at least one ad during Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast in 2023, the first time in more than 30 years that the makers of Coors Light and Miller Lite beer have advertised in the game.
The re-entry of the company was told last month by Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch that it would give up. its long-running exclusive rights To advertise alcohol during the Super Bowl.
Anheuser Busch, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, remains the NFL’s exclusive beer and hard seltzer sponsor, and plans to buy national advertising at next year’s game, a spokesman said.
Next year’s Super Bowl will air on FOX on February 12, 2023.
Anheuser-Busch’s decision has given its competitors a chance to get in on the game.
“It was a no-brainer. Literally the moment we saw the announcement, we got to work securing a Super Bowl spot,” said Michel St. Jacques, chief marketing officer for Molson Coors. “The most-watched sporting event in America This is a great opportunity to bring our biggest brands to the U.S.”
To date, Molson Coors has only bought one 30-second ad space, Ms. St. Jacques said. He declined to comment on which brands of Molson Coors might be involved in the game.
The company has spent the past three years focused on separating its two largest vendors, Miller Lite and Coors Light. It is marketing Miller Lite as the “beer of beer”, for example, running a campaign in which Miller Lite makes fun of the recent hard seltzer trend. By launching competitors’ products into outer space,
Coors Light introduced itself as a relaxation brand using themed advertising campaigns such as “Made to Chill” and “The Official Beer of Everything Unofficial”.
Molson Coors has recently focused on promoting beer options like Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and Simply Spiked Lemonade.
Although the company has been taken off the national TV network’s advertising roster during the Super Bowl, Molson Coors has campaigned that portray the game and its rivalry with Anheuser Bush.
When Anheuser-Busch bought a Super Bowl commercial to promote Bud Light Next last year, for example, Molson Coors secured the URL budlightnext.com and set it to redirect to joke websites.
It also ran the Miller Lite promotion around the Super Bowl which included a virtual bar On the digital platform Decentraland.
Ms St Jacques said Molson Coors will continue to try to reach Super Bowl fans beyond the game, even with an official Super Bowl ad.
“It’s not about the space of about 30 seconds,” said Ms. St. Jacques. “It’s about everything that goes around it and making sure that you’re not only giving people something that really captures their attention during the chaotic time period, but that they’ll also get your brand and your business.” Gives a reason to reach for the beer.”
Anjali S., an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Force said exclusivity agreements have historically been seen as a way for brands to control negotiations during a major event.
“But because of social media, there are other ways we can engage with our consumers, we see a compromise that is less powerful,” she said. “I think one of the reasons we’re seeing some companies move away from this is because when we had more unidirectional communication, it didn’t have the same seriousness.”
She said she thinks more alcohol brands will advertise at the Super Bowl.
“I think we are going to see more testing just because there is opportunity. I also think we are going to see more tests of the waters,” she said.
write to Patrick’s Coffee patrick.coffee@wsj.com and Megan Graham megan.graham@wsj.com
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