It was not enough for us to tell people about ‘Climb On.’ In order for it to really stick, we wanted consumers to experience for themselves. That meant showing up everywhere the brand lives, including in bars. We created ‘Climb On in 360º’ and leveraged the VR platform to give the viewer the rush of taking on a challenge they wouldn’t normally be able to face. With this activation launching in the summer, we captured seasonally appropriate activities like big wave surfing, white water kayaking, and downhill mountain biking. Our goal was to inspire them to tackle their own summer mountains and earn another refreshing reward.

‘Climb On in 360º’ was activated in over 5,000 bars in key markets across the country from May until September. Leveraging Google Cardboard technology, bar patrons were given the opportunity to experience being barrelled in one of the world’s most epic waves, expertly navigate through whitewater rapids, and speed down a professional bike racing course.

Each film closed with a message reinforcing our brand POV and encouraged viewers to take on their own mountains. And at the end of the experience, participants were handed a cold Coors Light and congratulated for stepping up to overcome a challenge.

To amplify the experience, we leveraged Facebook and YouTube’s new 360º capabilities, helping even more people learn about our new campaign.

During the nationwide bar activation, over 52,000 people experienced the live VR demos. In our top markets, the experience led to an increase in sales velocity of 2.3% in markets where this was activated, equating to over 74,000 additional pints of Coors Light sold per market.

And when we launched online, we received nearly 6 million views on Facebook, over 50 million impressions on Facebook and an additional 42,000 views on YouTube. Our first film nearly doubled our paid Facebook virality rate benchmark, and all three films received near universally positive feedback, amassing over 43,000 shares.

In the end, ‘Climb On in 360º’ inspired thousands of people to explore their mountains and helped solidify Coors Light’s new positioning for people worldwide.