For Super Bowl Ad, Coors Light Brewer Taps Into Online Sports-Betting Appetite

The buildup has been part of an elaborate Super Bowl publicity campaign that will culminate with a TV commercial airing during Sunday’s National Football League conference championship games. The ad is expected to  announce that the brewer is teaming up with online betting site

DraftKings Inc.

DKNG 6.61%

to give consumers a chance to predict the contents of the brewer’s big game commercial—and earn money if they guess correctly.

By tying up with DraftKings, Molson is looking to take advantage of the soaring popularity of sports betting, which has swept the nation since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on sports wagering in 2018. This year’s Super Bowl is expected to be heavy on sports-betting ads, with DraftKings and

Flutter Entertainment

PLC’s FanDuel Group among the fifty-plus brands that are planning to air commercials during the game.

Viewers who want to participate in the Molson contest will have to use their DraftKings account or create one, where they will be asked a dozen multiple-choice questions about the contents of the 30-second ad that will run during the Super Bowl, which will be broadcast on Fox on Feb. 12.

The questions, such as “Which beer is mentioned first?;” “What type of dog is featured behind the bar?;” and “Number of people with facial hair” can only be answered once per account for a chance to win a share of a $500,000 cash prize pool.

Molson said the contest is free to play, unlike an actual bet. 

The campaign is a sign of the lengths brands go to stand out from the advertising clutter that surrounds the game and find ways to generate publicity and buzz to offset cost associated with Super Bowl, which is the priciest ad real estate on TV. 

Thirty-seconds of ad time during this year’s Super Bowl is selling for as much as $7 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. Five years ago, the average price for the ad time was $5 million, according to estimates from ad-tracker Kantar. The price tag doesn’t include creating the ad, which could cost several million dollars depending if the ad includes special effects and A-list celebrities, according to ad executives.

Michelle St. Jacques,

the chief marketing officer of Molson Coors, said it was the first time an advertiser let fans predict the details of a Super Bowl ad and win real money if they predict correctly. 

The sport-betting market in the U.S. generated $7.9 billion in revenue last year, up sharply from the less than $1 billion that it brought in 2019, the first full year after the federal ban was overturned, according to estimates from VIXIO GamblingCompliance. The research firm expects it to grow to $16.4 billion by 2026.

FanDuel plans to air a live commercial featuring former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski attempting a field goal. If he makes it, anyone who places a bet of $5 or more on any aspect of the game using its platform will be eligible to win a share of $10 million in free bets on FanDuel.

DraftKings, meanwhile, is expected to air a spot that features comedian Kevin Hart.

Molson isn’t the only beneficiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s decision to give up exclusive rights to be the sole alcohol brand to be featured during the Super Bowl. Brands such as Rémy Cointreau,

Diageo

PLC’s Crown Royal and Heineken are also expected to air Super Bowl ads this year.

For the past three decades, the Miller and Coors brands have tried to steal some of the Super Bowl buzz by using guerrilla marketing tactics, such as buying ad time on the big game in local markets around the country.

While many people look forward to watching the Super Bowl commercials, viewers often don’t recall what brands the ads were for. Ms. St. Jacques said that because this year’s Molson Coors ad is “gamified,” viewers are likely to be more inclined to pay closer attention to the spot.

Write to Suzanne Vranica at [email protected]

The buildup has been part of an elaborate Super Bowl publicity campaign that will culminate with a TV commercial airing during Sunday’s National Football League conference championship games. The ad is expected to  announce that the brewer is teaming up with online betting site

DraftKings Inc.

DKNG 6.61%

to give consumers a chance to predict the contents of the brewer’s big game commercial—and earn money if they guess correctly.

By tying up with DraftKings, Molson is looking to take advantage of the soaring popularity of sports betting, which has swept the nation since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on sports wagering in 2018. This year’s Super Bowl is expected to be heavy on sports-betting ads, with DraftKings and

Flutter Entertainment

PLC’s FanDuel Group among the fifty-plus brands that are planning to air commercials during the game.

Viewers who want to participate in the Molson contest will have to use their DraftKings account or create one, where they will be asked a dozen multiple-choice questions about the contents of the 30-second ad that will run during the Super Bowl, which will be broadcast on Fox on Feb. 12.

The questions, such as “Which beer is mentioned first?;” “What type of dog is featured behind the bar?;” and “Number of people with facial hair” can only be answered once per account for a chance to win a share of a $500,000 cash prize pool.

Molson said the contest is free to play, unlike an actual bet. 

The campaign is a sign of the lengths brands go to stand out from the advertising clutter that surrounds the game and find ways to generate publicity and buzz to offset cost associated with Super Bowl, which is the priciest ad real estate on TV. 

Thirty-seconds of ad time during this year’s Super Bowl is selling for as much as $7 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. Five years ago, the average price for the ad time was $5 million, according to estimates from ad-tracker Kantar. The price tag doesn’t include creating the ad, which could cost several million dollars depending if the ad includes special effects and A-list celebrities, according to ad executives.

Michelle St. Jacques,

the chief marketing officer of Molson Coors, said it was the first time an advertiser let fans predict the details of a Super Bowl ad and win real money if they predict correctly. 

The sport-betting market in the U.S. generated $7.9 billion in revenue last year, up sharply from the less than $1 billion that it brought in 2019, the first full year after the federal ban was overturned, according to estimates from VIXIO GamblingCompliance. The research firm expects it to grow to $16.4 billion by 2026.

FanDuel plans to air a live commercial featuring former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski attempting a field goal. If he makes it, anyone who places a bet of $5 or more on any aspect of the game using its platform will be eligible to win a share of $10 million in free bets on FanDuel.

DraftKings, meanwhile, is expected to air a spot that features comedian Kevin Hart.

Molson isn’t the only beneficiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s decision to give up exclusive rights to be the sole alcohol brand to be featured during the Super Bowl. Brands such as Rémy Cointreau,

Diageo

PLC’s Crown Royal and Heineken are also expected to air Super Bowl ads this year.

For the past three decades, the Miller and Coors brands have tried to steal some of the Super Bowl buzz by using guerrilla marketing tactics, such as buying ad time on the big game in local markets around the country.

While many people look forward to watching the Super Bowl commercials, viewers often don’t recall what brands the ads were for. Ms. St. Jacques said that because this year’s Molson Coors ad is “gamified,” viewers are likely to be more inclined to pay closer attention to the spot.

Write to Suzanne Vranica at [email protected]