Coors Light lets consumers swap quarantine clutter for beer in spring cleaning play

Dive Brief:

Coors Light is setting up exchanges where people can trade unwanted gear they've accrued over the course of the pandemic for its weight in beer, according to a press release.
Consumers can visit The Battery in Atlanta, GA, or Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, NV, on March 20 from 1 - 5 p.m. local time to participate in "Clutter for Coors." Items traded in will be donated to local charities in their respective cities.
The Molson Coors brand is supporting the effort with a 15-second TV and digital spot airing around the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament finals later this month. The promotion is the latest to recognize consumers are looking for a spring-cleaning catharsis following a year stuck at home.

Dive Insight:

Coors is pushing consumers to let go of regretful impulse purchases they made over a period that saw a spike in interest for items like ring lights, puzzles and bread-making kits. The press release cited a WalletHub survey that found 43% of U.S. consumers have engaged in some form of "comfort buying," or shopping as a way to relieve stress or boredom, as a result of prolonged social isolation. The goal of decluttering now, according to the Molson Coors brand, is to create a more "chill" home environment, squaring with Coors' larger "Made to Chill" platform.

Other brewers have adopted similar engagement strategies as spring cleaning season lines up with the one-year anniversary of the pandemic. Blue Moon, also owned by Molson Coors, earlier in March rolled out a "Lighten Up" campaign in partnership with the founders of organization company The Home Edit. Promoting the label's LightSky offering, the effort encouraged consumers to donate six items they no longer need in exchange for free beer. The contest was facilitated via social media, with Blue Moon sending out payments for the beverages over Venmo.

"Clutter for Coors" extends a similar concept into the real world with stations where consumers can weigh and trade in items for rebates for beer. Donations ranging between 1-10 lbs. translate to a single 12-pack of Coors Light while donations of 20.1 lbs or greater will net participants up to two 30-packs. Coors is not accepting certain products, such as TVs, pianos, vehicles and mattresses, per the event's rules page. Charity-requested items include personal protective equipment, nonperishables and hygiene products.

Molson Coors has enacted an aggressive marketing strategy for its brands around the pandemic as key on-premise consumption venues like bars and restaurants experience a patchwork reopening. Several campaigns from the marketer have nodded to the harsh restrictions of living under the health crisis, while trying to inject a tone of humor or lightheartedness.

Coors in September offered fans the chance to win a vacation to the travel destinations they use as a background on apps like Zoom that have become ubiquitous during the pandemic. Sister brand Miller Lite late last year ran a campaign that celebrated cringe-inducing holiday office parties being put on hold as people continued to work from home.