Banquet’s back on the ranch.
After appearing on Paramount Network’s western drama “Yellowstone” for its first four seasons, Coors Banquet is making it official for season five.
The brand has inked a deal to become the official beer integration and retail partner of the cable hit’s upcoming fifth season, which launches Nov. 13.
Banquet has been featured prominently on the show, which ranked as the No. 1 TV series in 2021 with the beer brand’s core 25- to 54-year-old audience, helping “ride its brand awareness and brand-love to new heights,” says Tracey Schenck, senior marketing manager for the Coors family of brands.
That trend has continued throughout the summer, with dollar sales up more than 12% over the 13 weeks ended Oct. 30 compared with the same period a year ago.
The new partnership ensures Banquet retains its presence in stars’ hands on screen, while also gaining additional rights to use “Yellowstone” marks and imagery at retail and on digital channels, e-commerce and out-of-home advertising. New displays will feature imagery and the brand icon from the series’ fictional Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, along with “Live like a Dutton,” a reference to the family that’s the focus of the show.
“Yellowstone” fans will have a chance to “Live Like a Dutton,” too: Coors Banquet will send one winner and three friends on a paid trip to a Montana ranch, where they can ride horses, practice their roping skills and enjoy family-style dinners – and a few Coors Banquets. Fans can enter for a chance to win the trip and gear from Western outfitter Seager starting Nov. 9 by visiting BanquetYellowstoneGiveaway.com.
The gritty nature and Western aesthetic of “Yellowstone” “fit perfectly with Coors Banquet’s ethos and how it shows up as a brand with consumers,” Schenck says.
And plenty of Banquet’s target drinkers are watching. The “Yellowstone” season four premiere last year racked up more total viewers than the pro football game in primetime, which aired on the same night. Its season four finale ranked as the most-watched entertainment telecast since 2017, and the program boasted 234 million views across platforms.
What’s more, “Yellowstone” viewers already are Banquet fans, Schenck says.
“Coors Banquet has all the right momentum heading into 2023 and with this partnership, we feel confident we can ride to new heights,” Schenck says.