From “oopsie” to “oh yeah!”: Find out how a brand turned a sports incident into marketing success!

Thursday: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing From the desk of Miles Everson: Guerrilla marketing holds a special place in my heart. Do you know why? It’s because this marketing strategy embodies unparalleled creativity and unconventionality. It provides opportunities for industry professionals to impress the public, foster interaction, and evoke genuine, organic reactions. Today, let’s explore another remarkable application of this unconventional strategy. Continue reading to know how this brand turned a sports incident into marketing gold! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

From “oopsie” to “oh yeah!”: Find out how a brand turned a sports incident into marketing success! Do you believe in the saying, “Not everything that’s broken needs fixing?” For example: A pair of ripped jeans… The jeans might be tattered and worn out, but it is comfortable. In this case, does this clothing need fixing? Not really. This idea of something “broken” not needing fixing also applies to a sports incident in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the LA Angels and New York Mets on August 26, 2023. Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese player for the LA Angels, broke an LED screen with a foul ball… and coincidentally, the broken LED screen showed a specific beer ad. Oops! Do you think the company behind this ad and the stadium hosting the MLB lashed out at Ohtani for this incident? No. In fact, the beer brand capitalized on the incident in a way that exemplifies the saying, “not everything that’s broken needs fixing.” The name of the company? Coors Light! Broken Screen, Golden Opportunity: Coors Lights Out! Coors Light is an American lager beer brand sold by Molson Coors and was first produced in 1978 by the Coors Brewing Company. The beer has become a popular choice for those seeking a refreshing and light beverage. While Coors Light was not the official cerveza or beer of the MLB in 2023, an unexpected event during a game put the brand in the spotlight. Ohtani’s powerful swing literally left its mark on an LED screen advertising Coors Light. As a response, the brand created a digitally mocked-up beer can design on X (formerly Twitter) a few hours after Ohtani hit the LED screen. Coors Light called this design, “Hits the Spot.” The design replicated the broken LED screen, with a touch of black to symbolize the damaged part. The campaign team also used the design on limited-edition beer cans. Coors Light executed this strategy with the help of Rethink, a creative agency based in Canada, to further promote the campaign. The limited-edition cans were sold across the U.S. and Japan. Following its release, several X users expressed their interest in buying the can, and many people replied to Coors Light’s post about it on the social media platform. What’s more? Some expressed assurance that the Japanese people will buy the beer for its momentous design. Even people who never drank Coors Light were ready to haul a whole case of the beer. Meanwhile, the New York Mets poked fun at the incident and flashed an announcement saying that the bill for the broken screen is on its way to the Angels. The Angels also hopped in on the fun by putting up signs that looked just like the broken ad in its home stadium. This reminded the team of the “sports history” they created. Was the Coors Lights Out campaign successful? To prove that not everything that’s broken needs fixing, let’s take a look at the results of the campaign: The post on X garnered massive attention, receiving over 1.3 million views, 7,000+ likes, and nearly 1,500 reposts. The limited-edition cans were sold out in just 24 hours. Fans also made their own versions of the can design and shared it on social media to be part of the trend. The broken LED screen became a hit (both literally and figuratively) to the point that it was auctioned at a whopping amount of over USD 7,000! Coors Light became one of the highly requested beers in Japan because of Ohtani’s influence and the clever “Hits the Spot” campaign. The limited-edition cans doubled as a powerful marketing tool and memorabilia for a historic sports moment. The fans didn’t just buy a can of beer; they also bought a piece of history. Additionally, the campaign received the following awards at the 2024 Clio Awards: OOH (Out Of Home) Grand Award Gold Award under the Direct Category Gold Award under the Integrated Category Silver Award under the Experience and Activation Category Silver Award under the Social Media Category Clearly, these results and recognition show that the campaign and the historic sports incident were truly a hit! — What can we learn from this campaign? Not everything that is broken should be fixed, and the campaign proved it. Sometimes, unexpected events can be turned into marketing gold. Coors Light embraced the incident and used it as a foundation for a creative and memorable campaign. Marketers should take advantage of every situation. The Coors Light campaign turned a baseball game incident into a shared experience for fans and the brand. Like this, marketers should always find ways to connect with consumers even through unexpected moments. Coors Light hit the spot with its campaign and made everyone a part of sports history. So, be inspired with what the beer brand did! Capture that winning spirit in your own guerrilla marketing campaigns and create an unforgettable experience for your target audience. Always remember: Great marketers don’t always need a lightbulb moment. Sometimes, a broken bulb is better! EXCITING NEWS AHEAD The world of work has shifted, and there’s no going back. The barriers to entry have never been lower for talented professionals to work independently, and today’s massive external workforce is hardly a pandemic-produced fad. Business owners can only survive in the new work landscape by partnering with this deep talent pool. With decades of experience in both small-business entrepreneurship and executive management at PwC, I truly believe that the future of work is independent. 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