Molson Coors and DraftKings partner for Super Bowl ad
Online gaming platform taking free fan bets with a $500,000 prize pool asking people to guess details of ad featuring Coors Light and Miller Lite.
FrankLin
Molson Coors' Super Bowl stunt pitting Coors Light against Miller Lite has a new player—online betting platform DraftKings. It turns out both brands will be in the game, but the brewer is seeking to raise viewer interest with a contest that attempts to feed into the nation's gambling frenzy.
Produced by Droga5, the “High Stakes Beer Ad” gives fans the chance to win money by making predictions about the Big Game commercial, including details such as the first beer mentioned and the type of dog pictured behind the bar. There’s also an over/under on how many people in the ad will have facial hair. Fans who make the right guesses can share in a $500,000 prize pool.
The game is free to play and available for those ages 21 and up—but they must participate via the DraftKings app or at a special website. That essentially shows DraftKings is using the stunt, and its beer partnership, to boost sign-ups as it competes for business in the competitive fantasy and gambling sector.
The partnership begins Sunday with teaser ads promoting the contest to air during the AFC and NFC championship games.
Molson Coors is breaking a 33-year freezeout from in-game Super Bowl advertising now that Anheuser-Busch InBev surrendered its exclusive Super Bowl ad rights in the alcohol category. Molson Coors officials said as far back as last summer that it would run a Super Bowl ad but tried to make the identity of the brand a topic of pre-game speculation hype.
The company kicked off the guessing game with a full-page ad in the New York Times on Jan. 17, in which both brands made their case to appear in the 30-second spot.
The partnership with DraftKings takes the predictions several steps further and comes as online betting gains popularity among fans. The American Gaming Association reported that almost 50 million Americans were expected to bet on the NFL this season, Molson Coors said.
DraftKings also plans to run a separate ad starring comedian Kevin Hart. And its top competitor, FanDuel, is also in the game with its own gimmick—a live ad showing Rob Gronkowski attempting a 25-yard field goal. FanDuel is promoting the stunt with ads on TV, social media and other digital channels in a move to drive FanDuel subscriptions ahead of what is the biggest gambling day of the year.
