How Coors Light turned a broken digital ad into a viral sports marketing moment

This year, Coors and independent creative agency Rethink are being honored for their success in creating a viral moment of speed—and a new kind of sports sponsorship—all from a broken out-of-home ad.

In the crowded field of sports marketing, brands often spend millions to stand out. But in the summer of 2023, Coors Light found itself in a unique position with an opportunity to create a sports marketing moment that didn’t require cashing out or a big check to secure an endorsement.

In fact, the moment that sparked one of the brand’s most memorable campaigns was completely unplanned. In late August of last year, a ball thrown by baseball star Shohei Ohtani – then playing for the Los Angeles Angels – struck an LED unit in the brand’s commercial at Citi Field. The result was an image of a silvery Coors Light can – with a black box hovering above the brand.

Where some brands might have seen trouble, Coors Light and its agency, Rethink, saw opportunity. What followed was the birth of the ‘Lights Out’ campaign, a study in spur-of-the-moment thinking and creative agility that turned a fleeting moment into a viral sensation.

Seizing a knockout moment

Coors and Rethink wasted little time jumping on the opportunity. “Shohei gave us rocket fuel by breaking the ad. We just needed a spark,” says Aaron Starkman, head of global creative at Rethink. “When something culturally relevant happens that fits your brand in a meaningful way, and it’s something the brand can capitalize on, it’s good to go for it.”

The team decided to focus primarily on the subject of the moment – the broken points. Instead of putting Ohtani at the center of a campaign, the black square became the centerpiece of a campaign that embraced imperfection. “Shohei’s full ball, and the initial attention he got, just helped us avoid expensive media attention,” explains Starkman.

It was an unusual approach. Where many brands might have tried to downplay the incident, especially without an official endorsement from Ohtani, Coors Light chose a different path. With an adaptable, agile approach, the image of a black square-adorned Coors Light can quickly flood social media feeds and appear on billboards and in digital ads around Angel Stadium. Within 48 hours, Rethink had designed and launched a special edition Coors Light can, featuring a black square where the dots had gone off in the Citi Field commercial.

At Rethink, quick response to the moment fit naturally into the organization’s philosophy. “At Rethink, we believe in the ‘go and scale’ approach, where we put out something simple that includes the ‘big thought’, like a social post, and if it takes off, we start growing the idea with multiple executions in various media.” In short, he explains, “Consumers are telling us everything we need to know in real time in terms of further development.”

The simplicity of the concept made it easy for Molson Coors to greenlight further executions without extensive research or lengthy decision-making. Operationally, the key was to avoid long meetings, according to Starkman. “This whole campaign happened because Molson Coors and Rethink worked as a team,” he said. The teams communicated primarily through phone calls, group messages, and Slack messages, allowing them to move at the speed needed to capture the viral wave.

Turning a black square into a global phenomenon

The unorthodox approach paid off in spades. The limited edition cans sold out online in less than 24 hours. Fans in both the United States and Japan – Ohtani’s home country – embraced the campaign, adding black squares to their own Coors Light cans and merchandise when the special cans sold out. Even the original broken panel itself became a memorial and was auctioned online for more than $7,000. Meanwhile, social media comments about the campaign reflected 100% positive sentiment.

So why did the ‘Lights Out’ campaign resonate so deeply with audiences? In Starkman’s opinion, it’s simple: “Beer is supposed to be fun.” At the end of the day, baseball fans saw a beer brand making light of a negative moment and having a sense of humor about it.” By embracing what many brands would have considered a negative moment, Coors Light presented itself as playful and playful, qualities that endeared it to fans.

Another reason for the campaign’s success was its organic nature. Unlike other brands that spend millions on visibility at sporting events, the brand deftly hacked its way into the conversation. Ohtani’s foul ball was an unforced, unplanned moment—yet Coors Light ended up trending higher than Budweiser, MLB’s official beer partner, during the campaign’s climax.

In the end, the results of the campaign spoke for themselves. Beyond the sold-out cans and viral hype, Coors Light managed to position itself as a beer brand that could keep up with the modern, fast-paced world of sports. And what started as an unscripted moment on the baseball field quickly evolved into a global phenomenon, proving that even a failed ad can create a winning campaign.

As Starkman puts it, “You don’t need a big budget to do good work.” Sometimes all you need is a bolt and a broken bulb.