MillerCoors-owned Coors Light is honing in on location with a mobile advertising campaign that drives consumers to local bars and restaurants to watch their favorite sports games.

The ads are running inside iPhone applications and mobile Web sites including The New York Post and CBS News. The campaign is aimed at connecting with sports fans during playoff season.

?Driving foot traffic is one of the biggest goals of a lot of mobile advertisers,? said Mike DiMarco, director of media at FiddleFly, Columbia, MD.

?There is a big misconception that all mobile advertising is aimed at driving mcommerce, but for plenty of businesses, mobile is simply a better means of reaching an audience on the go and persuading them to head towards their stores.?

Mr. DiMarco is not affiliated with Coors Light. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Coors Light did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile driver
Creative for the banner ads features a photo of a Coors Light product next to a call-to-action that encourages users to tap to fuel up for the sports playoff season with the company?s drinks.

Another set of creative reads, ?More refreshing than a first round bye.?

When clicked on, a branded landing page with a map of nearby bars and restaurants where users can presumably order Coors Light products.

Consumers can then click-through to view directions and contact information for the location.

By placing location at the campaign?s core, Coors Light is able to target consumers at a local level to drive foot traffic while also keeping the brand top-of-mind.

Mobile past
Given Coors Light?s demographic, a seasonal campaign such as this one is a smart marketing move.

Typically, Coors Light uses mobile to target specific groups of consumers.

For example, last year Coors Light ran a mobile ad campaign that capitalized on warm weather to target music fans (see story).

Therefore, a location-based campaign that shows users where they can try the company?s products for themselves is a great way for the brand to give its mobile advertising initiatives some context.

MillerCoors has also run similar campaigns for its other brands.

For instance, last year the company ran a targeted ad campaign aimed at movie goers in connection with its Blue Moon brand (see story).

?More and more we are seeing the ads that work are the ones that are targeted and non-intrusive,? Mr. DiMarco said.

?Oversized or distracting ads may draw taps but they are far less likely to lead to meaningful interaction whereas an ad that is clean and specific to an appropriate audience has a much better chance of creating a worthwhile encounter,? he said.

?Location-based campaigns are already prevalent in our advertising, but that?s only going to grow. I?d imagine over time one of two things could happen ? either the stigma that people tend to have towards them will fade and be replaced by an understanding of their true value, which is to help enhance the user experience of interacting with the world, or advertisers will become too aggressive with location-based ads and they will begin to lose their effect altogether as the public turns a blind eye.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York