Dive Brief:
- Molson Coors Beverage Co. this month expanded the campaign for Coors Pure, the brewer's first beer to be certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The nationwide push includes several spots on TV, streaming services and digital media, and will be most pronounced on late-night talk shows before expanding to more dayparts this summer, per a blog post.
- Comedian Ali Wong provides the voice for Coors Pure, humorously complimenting people on their meager achievements as they crack open a can of the beer. A suburban mom who tries to jog while taking a walk and a man who uses a standing desk while working from home reward themselves with a Coors Pure in the spots, which end with the phrase "because you tried today" and the brand's tagline: "It's organic but chill about it."
- Since its rollout in March, Coors Pure is meeting sales expectations while 12-packs of its regular flavor are exceeding forecasts by 24%, according to the company, which also said a citrus-flavored version of Coors Pure is currently available in the Northeast.
Dive Insight:
Molson Coors is ramping up the promotions for Coors Pure amid growing demand for beers that are lower in calories and carbohydrates, making them more popular among more health-minded consumers. The company is taking aim at Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, a premium version of the rival low-calorie brew that became one of AB InBev's top-selling beers and even surpassed its flagship Budweiser brand, according to industry estimates.
Molson Coors is being more aggressive with the pricing of Coors Pure, offering the beer for about the same price as regular Michelob Ultra, which is 20% less expensive than the Pure Gold version, according to the blog post. Along with pricing, its "organic but chill about it" tagline takes aim at Michelob Ultra's fitness-focused branding.
"We know there are plenty of consumers who take fitness seriously but aren't trying to set world records," Nigel Jones, senior marketing manager for Coors Pure, said in the blog post. "We want them to know that Coors Pure is an organic, zero-sugar beer that fits their lifestyle.”
The rollout of Coors Pure is another sign of the intense rivalry between Molson Coors and AB InBev, which two years ago engaged in a highly publicized legal spat. MillerCoors, as the company was then known, sued AB InBev over a Super Bowl ad that suggested Miller Lite and Coors Lite weren't healthy because they used corn syrup in the brewing process.
Molson Coors' promotion follows other recent efforts to reach health-minded consumers who are most likely to drink Coors Pure. To celebrate National Beer Day on April 7, the company deployed professional runners in New York City's Central Park wearing shirts emblazoned with giant QR codes. People who got close enough to scan the codes with a smartphone camera received a rebate for a 12-pack of Coors Pure.
Molson Coors also has been active in supporting its other brands, such as Blue Moon and Miller High Life. Last month, Blue Moon began a campaign to celebrate the summer's reopening of bars and restaurants after seeing a 42% gain in on-premise sales volume between February and March this year. The effort includes three 15-second spots that end with Blue Moon's new tagline "Brighter Days Ahead." For Miller High Life, Molson Coors started a petition to designate the borders of the Milwaukee brewery as the "Champagne of Beers Region," a reference to the beer's longtime slogan.
These campaigns are part of Molson Coors' efforts to revive on-premise sales as bars and restaurants reopen. The brewing giant reported a 9.7% decline in net sales from a year earlier to $1.9 billion in Q1 amid difficulties that included a cybersecurity incident, an abnormal winter storm in Texas that forced utilities to shut off power to its Fort Worth brewery and government restrictions in the U.K., per its quarterly earnings report.
