Coors Light is kicking off the next phase of its “Made to Chill” campaign with a dog adoption program and a new spot that celebrates skipping cuffing season.
The new 15-second spot, which fits definitively in the oeuvre the brand has created within its “Made to Chill” world, features a sweatpants-clad woman grabbing a takeout box and a Coors Light from her refrigerator and settling in on her couch with her dog.
Backed by the opening bars of the 1968 Zombies hit “Time of the Season,” the ad finishes on a shot of the woman and dog cozying up on the couch as snow falls outside. The end card names Coors Light “The Official Beer of Skipping Cuffing Season,” a reference to the millennial-led trend of partnering up with another person during the dreary winter months.
The ad, which debuted Jan. 26 during the Grammy Awards, represents the first new TV work for the brand since it launched its “Made to Chill” campaign in August.
In its first 10 days on the air, the new spot has performed as well as the brand’s initial round of “Made to Chill” ads, which aimed to establish Coors Light as the ideal antidote to the pressures of everyday life, according to data collected on behalf of Molson Coors.
It also appears to be resonating with consumers. “Coors Light is launching a campaign against cuffing season in the sweetest way possible,” People Magazine wrote. Lara Walsh, writing for Elite Daily, said the brand “is making it so much easier to skip out on the roses and chocolates in favor of some quality time with your new pup.”
“Our point of view is that everyone deserves a moment to chill. A refreshing Coors Light unlocks those occasions for people and gives them the perfect way to relax,” says Grace Needleman, associate marketing manager for Coors Light. “We know that people feel pressure to partner up this time of year, and we’re saying spending time with your dog and a Coors Light is far better than a mediocre date with a person you just met on an app.”
To go along with its cuffing season spots, the brand this week launched a dog adoption program, in which it will pay up to $100 in dog adoption fees to the first 1,000 people who submit an adoption receipt in select states. The dog-adoption campaign will be supported on digital and social media and continue through Feb. 21.
The program aims to “help people get their best friend to stay at home and celebrate Valentine’s Day — to make cuffing season a nonstarter,” Needleman says.
According to research conducted on behalf of the brand, 58% of young legal-age millennials say Valentine’s Day is overrated, and about half of them say they plan to stay in on the love-soaked holiday.
The cuffing season spot has appeared during the television program "The Bachelor," where it will continue to air for the show’s first five weeks. It’s also rolling for a targeted audience prior to Twitter posts from "The Bachelor."
The TV spot is the first of several new “Made to Chill” ads coming from the brand this year as it seeks to continue momentum under the campaign.