The partnership marks Molson Coors’ return to the Super Bowl after a hiatus of 33 years, according to the company. Molson Coors, which makes Coors Light and Miller Lite, has been unable to advertise during the game since 1998 due to an exclusivity agreement between parent-company AB InBev and the National Football League, it said. That agreement ended in 2022, and Molson Coors is making a splashy return to the advertising event with an ad campaign specifically leading up to its Super Bowl spot.
Molson Coors and DraftKings said they’re offering viewers a piece of a $500,000 prize pool for correctly predicting the contents of the brewer’s commercial, dubbed “The High Stakes Beer Ad.” It’s the largest prize pool of any free-to-play non-sport contest offered in DraftKings’ history, according to a Molson press release.
“After being shut out of the big game for more than 30 years, we wanted to do something that had never been done before,” said Michelle St. Jacques, Molson Coors’ chief marketing officer, in a statement. “By giving people the chance to predict every detail of the ad before it even runs, we’re bringing our fans along for the ride and getting them just as excited about our return to the big stage as we are.”
According to a new teaser for the ad, fans aged 21 and up will be able to place bets through their DraftKings accounts on multiple-choice questions such as “Which beer is mentioned first?” during the Super Bowl ad. The contest closes at 3:30 p.m. ET on gameday, and winners are expected to be announced the following morning, the company said.
Details of the commercial’s outcome are being kept a secret, the brands said. Multiple different endings have been filmed, and even Molson Coors’ CEO doesn’t know how the commercial will end, they said.
For Molson Coors, the partnership capitalizes on the growing popularity of sports betting. Through the first 11 months of 2022, casinos and mobile sports gaming revenue stood at a record $54.93 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.
“This behavior is everywhere,” said Sofia Colucci, vice president of global marketing at Miller Family of Brands, in an email to CNBC. “It’s a part of culture, and so are our brands. Since we’re already celebrating a historic moment by returning after 30 years, we might as well make history twice by introducing the first-ever high stakes ad where people can predict every detail.”
