Our “In the Market” series explores how we bring our brands to life in our local markets, closest to our customers and consumers. This first edition takes us on a deep dive into a major moment for golf and entertainment in Arizona; the WM Phoenix Open.
Here at Molson Coors, we enjoy our beers and beverages no matter the weather - anything from ice fishing in Minnesota to a beach day in sunny Florida.
While some of us are on the back end of a long, cold, snowy winter, it’s been peak season – or “Arizona summer” – for our friends in the Grand Canyon State. So, it’s only fitting that in our inaugural “In the Market” blog we take a look at the last month in the valley.
A Hole in One at the WM Phoenix Open
As the exclusive partner of the WM Phoenix Open, we showed up big, tapping into three big passion points for 21+ fans – sports, music and entertainment – all in one grand event.
“This is our summer in Phoenix, and we came ready to win every moment of it,” says Field Marketing Manager Mark Milkovich. “The WM Phoenix Open takes over eight months of planning, tons of collaboration with Crescent Crown Distributing and our retail and activation partners, and so much hard work from our team. But in the end, it becomes a high-octane moment for golf and music fans alike – and our brands help take that celebration to the next level.”
We bring brands across our portfolio to the event, and show up both inside and outside the ropes. That means handing out free samples to 21+ fans at the golf tournament (who doesn’t like free beer!), turning stacks of beer at stores into extensions of the course with golf-themed cardboard cutouts like a Coors Light can as a tee (we know if we had that on the course it would help us get closer to the green!), billboards across the metro, social campaigns, rideshare partnerships to promote responsible consumption, and more.
Indeed, Molson Coors’ portfolio is hard to miss at the tournament known as “The People’s Open” for its liveliness. With over 500,000 attendees, we gave out over 35,000 samples of brands to 21+ consumers ranging from Peroni and Blue Moon to Arnold Palmer Spiked and Topo Chico Hard. Whether fans are trying a brand for the first time or being reminded of how much they love it already, a robust sampling program helps us invite folks to choose our lineup of beers and beverages long after the event ends.
We are also the title sponsor of the unofficial after-party, the Coors Light Bird’s Nest, a four night concert series that occurs next to the course. That includes fans seeing our logos and enjoying our hospitality throughout four days of star-studded performances, and yes, more free beer samples for legal-aged fans at branded spaces that keep our portfolio top of mind through it all.
Lowering our Handicap
Then, as the tournament began, we swapped our guitars for some golf clubs. While we’ve sponsored the tournament for years, we always aim to come back better than the year before – just like the golfers on the course.
This year, we upped our game with a couple brand-new activations: the Coors Light Birdie Bar on the iconic 16th hole (that’s the hole most known for people cheering from the grandstands like it’s a football game), and the Coors Light Patio Bar at The Cove. It helps immerse fans in Coors Light cold and ensures Coors Light is part of the action even as fans zone into the golf.
And as our portfolio expands, so too does our lineup of crowd pleasers across the course. For the first time ever, we featured a cocktail bar by spotlighting our newest brand: Fever-Tree. Our Fever-Tree espresso martini mixes on the 16th hole felt like an eagle on a par five: once you’ve experienced one, you wonder how you ever lived without it. And, to better connect with our 21+ Gen Z drinkers at the tourney, we built out a suite of new Instagram-able spaces from a Leinie’s Adirondack chair to a scooter with an Italian backdrop for Peroni and more.
Of course, the classics were in town as well, like the return our fan-favorite Desert Oasis, a BBQ and Beer Garden that’s open to the public and feels like a hole-in-one when you set foot in it –not that we know what a hole-in-one feels like here at the blog, but we’re trying!
While our brands showed up big in and around the tournament, from the can’t miss activations, to exclusive merch, to shopper tools at stores, we also leveraged our work to promote alcohol responsibility. We’re passionate about our brands, and we’re just as passionate about sipping smart and celebrating responsibly, so we partnered with Lyft on rideshare credits as an extension of our free rides program.
“There’s nothing better than showing up at the places and events our fans love to craft activations that make our brands part of our fans’ experiences and celebrations, big and small,” says Milkovich. “While it’s our biggest moment in our busiest season in Arizona, it also sets the tone for activations throughout the year – like spring training wrapping up now across the valley!”