When the weather gets hot, Coors Light is looking to cool it down.
The brand will give away free beer to cities that hit record-breaking temperatures throughout June. Coors Light will keep tabs on the thermometers in 10 cities across the U.S. and as the mercury rises, three or more retailers will provide free beer to locals.
The 10 cities are:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Austin, Texas
- Buffalo, New York
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Tampa, Florida,
- Washington, D.C.
Additionally, “whichever city shatters the biggest record of all” will receive a big-time party boost: the “World’s Most Refreshing Cold Stream.”
The company modified a 32-foot Airstream trailer to serve as a mobile Coors Light dispensing bar, complete with plenty of cold mountain branding familiar to the brand. The Coldstream has four Coors Light tap handles, which also include partially frozen brews, as well as mist sprayers for keeping the heat at bay. The site noted the trailer will be extended with air-conditioned decks with ice bins full of beer and Dyson fans at larger events.
“It’s all designed to provide a multi-sensory experience that uses Coors Light as the catalyst delivering a cold, refreshing experience to drinkers spending their day in the hot summer sun,” Coors Light Associate Marketing Manager Dana Mason told the MillerCoors Behind The Beer site. “The whole area surrounding the Cold Streams becomes an oasis for anyone seeking cold refreshment and a break from the heat and the crowds.
“We’re not just offering fans a cold beer, we’re taking them into our world by providing a dynamic consumer experience that reinforces cold at every touchpoint.”
The Cold Stream will be making its way around the U.S. this summer, hitting festivals along the way, but fans will have to keep their eyes peeled as a Coors Light representative said no current schedule was available. However, it was scheduled to appear at the Indianapolis 500 and should make its way to the College World Series, according to a Behind the Beer.
By September, four more Cold Streams are expected to enter service. The Behind the Beer post also dove into the MillerCoors event activation strategy, noting that other brands, like Facebook, Gatorade, and HBO, already activate at festivals, concerts, and sporting events.
It’s not the first time this year Coors Light has rolled out a promotion to keep the Silver Bullets firing (flowing?). Earlier this year, following an attack on Coors and fellow light beer Miller Light by Bud Light, the brand opted to roll out a Smart Tap in five cities. The tap, released in time for March Madness, would recognize each time a negative Bud Light message found its way onto social and broadcast media and cause free Coors Light to be poured.
As the beer wars — between Big Beer and Craft, and even amongst the beer giants — heat up, the macro brands are ramping up their giveaway tactics. Bud Light rolled out a cooler in Cleveland that would only open once the NFL’s Cleveland Browns won a game, a season after going winless.
Meanwhile, Natty Light opened up a competition during the Masters Tournament, giving drinkers a chance to win free beer.
No matter how you cut it, it’s a good time to be a fan of cheap beer.
