In March of 2020 everything changed. A global pandemic turned peoples’ lives upside down, and forced us into isolation. Nobody knew what to do. Brands were offering messages of “togetherness,” being “there for you”, and other platitudes. We wanted to offer something real.

So with anxiety at an all-time high, Coors Light set out to take a weight off the world’s shoulders. Throughout history, beer has always brought comfort in “sucky” times, but how do you do that when the world is completely disconnected? We wanted to offer real world relief even when we couldn’t physically be together.

After a 93-year-old woman’s social post asking for more beer went viral, we knew there was massive potential for earned media by doing something very simple: answering her request.

Two days later Coors Light dropped off 150 beers on her doorstep. And the act of goodwill was just the antidote to the doom and gloom media landscape that was blanketing the news across the country.

We didn’t even have to pitch the story--the major sources were coming to us. From the Daily Show to Fallon to USA Today, every network and outlet was hungry to cover the story of Olive getting her Coors Light.

So when we launched our campaign inviting the rest of the country to share a beer, those same outlets covered our story again, doubling our impressions. We ended up getting major national coverage for simply sharing some beer - twice.

The early days of the pandemic were an incredibly confusing and dark time. Media outlets were prioritizing new information about an unknown virus.The news was scary and unfocused. The country was in desperate need of relief.

And our target (21-34-year-old drinkers) was no exception. Between ASMR videos, meditation apps, and jade rollers it was clear people were looking for anything to offer comfort for themselves and others.

Our answering Olive’s request for beer was a breath of fresh air. Outlets were starving for this kind of content. We strategically targeted national, lifestyle and food & beverage media (FOX News, CBS News, AdAge, Adweek, Daily Meal, BroBible, Daily Caller) as well as Hispanic media. We focused on media who were craving a break from the heavy COVID-19-specific coverage that was all over the airwaves.

On April 10, 2020, we discovered Olive Veronesi’s post asking for more beer. Almost instantly we delivered 150 beers to her doorstep. Our response went viral. And overnight, we’d made Olive a celebrity.

Drafting off the success of our new influencer, we spotted an opportunity to go even bigger. we followed up with a program that invited everyone to send a beer to whoever they thought could use some refreshment, using the hashtag: #CouldUseABeer.

We gave control directly to our consumers, letting them instantly share our coupon for a free six-pack in a uniquely social way.

This was announced with a film, voiced by Paul Giamatti. The work ran in paid/organic social, OLV, streaming and TV, as well as posts, UGC, and was supported with a Jimmy Kimmel integration.

The promotion ran from April 28th to May 29th, reaching three billion people and receiving over 1million engagements under #CouldUseABeer.

2.1B earned media impressions (3B total media impressions)

+160% increase in brand consideration among 21-34-year-olds

16% year-over-year increase in BBLs (beer barrels) sold

+126% Increase in Positive Brand Impression

+162% Increase in ‘Brand for Me’ Perceptions

92% Positive / Neutral sentiment across social channels