Coors Light’s silver bullet train returns for Super Bowl with seats for fans

Molson Coors has big plans for its flagship brand because it prepares for its second crack on the Super Bowl since rival Anheuser-Busch InBev loosened its exclusivity over alcohol promoting. Coors Light is running a 30-second spot in the primary half of the sport on Feb. 11, the corporate confirmed, resurrecting a silver bullet train concept introduced in 2005. The move looks to increase a recent run of sales momentum and court favor with newer Gen Z customers, executives said. 

For its first appearance in a dozen years, the sleek locomotive dishing out cold beers and good vibes has been outfitted to handle modern anxieties, embodying themes from the beer marketer’s ongoing “Made to Chill” platform centered on moments to relax and chill out. The overhaul comes with a fitting latest name, the Coors Light Chill Train, and design touches similar to train cars shaped like beer cans. 

“Since 2019, after we began the ‘Made to Chill’ campaign, we’ve added an emotional layer to our promoting,” said Marcelo Pascoa, vice chairman of promoting for the Coors family of brands, in an interview concerning the Chill Train’s return. “In this crazy, hectic world we live in, there may be a subversive power in selecting to have that moment of chill.”

Along with the larger emotional appeal, the Chill Train is getting upgraded with tech bells and whistles. With help from computer-generated imagery, Coors Light will digitally insert 100 fans into the vehicle’s cars throughout the industrial. Participants may have the possibility to post their experience on social media to increase the hassle to the increasingly necessary second screen and realm of user-generated content. 

Since the Chill Train will fly by quickly throughout the broadcast — a press release claims the locomotive moves at 900 mph — Coors Light plans to release a slowed-down version on its YouTube channel on Super Bowl Sunday. That will give viewers a likelihood to comb through the passengers, with the inclusion of some surprise guests. The length of the slo-mo cut is to be determined, a spokesperson said.  

“Through social and digital, we’re going to give you the chance to introduce people to different moments and permit them to enjoy the entire little Easter eggs,” said Pascoa.

Coors Light will tease its big game play throughout the NFC Championship on Sunday, Jan. 28. Those all for jumping on the Chill Train can visit Coors Light’s website to order specific spots and upload a photograph of themselves, with seats available in batches on daily basis at 1 p.m. ET through Feb. 2. Winners will sign a contract and receive $500 in talent fees, along with limited-edition merchandise. 

“There is a special component toward being an element of an enormous spot,” said Pascoa of the compensation package. “We desired to treat people accordingly.”

Riding high   

Coors Light debuted its branded train within the pre-iPhone, pre-streaming era, with splashy TV campaigns accompanied by The O’Jays hit single “Love Train” and cameos from celebrities like Ice-T. While the Chill Train’s engines have been left dormant for over a decade, the creative left a permanent impression. 

For last yr’s big game, Molson Coors partnered with DraftKings on a betting game that exposed 74% of participants believed the locomotive would make a comeback for Super Bowl LVII, based on Pascoa. While the appetite for the Chill Train to again hit the rails was clear, agency partner Droga5 was the primary to boost the prospect of taking the technique to the Super Bowl.

“It was a surprise for us,” said Pascoa of the pitch process behind the campaign. “We didn’t tell the agency that we wanted the train to come back back. They brought that concept to us.”

Bringing back the Chill Train could help Coors Light tap into the present marketing wave around 2000s nostalgia. But the Rocky Mountains-themed brewer has sights set on its “next generation” of fans as well with more Gen Zers coming of legal drinking age and consumers at large switching up their beverage preferences. 

“We are experiencing a level of momentum that is actually unprecedented for us,” said Pascoa. “More people than ever are reaching for a Coors Light. If we’re going to deliver to all of those people, why not use the very best delivery system we’ve ever had?”

Coors Light has benefited from chief competitor Bud Light getting swept up in controversy last yr over a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The misfire, certainly one of the very best profile instances of a brand becoming embattled in culture wars, has led Molson Coors to significantly ramp up marketing spending.