Coors, DraftKings Partnering on Super Bowl Commercial

It’s Super Bowl commercial rumor season. But there is confirmation that DraftKings and beer giant Molson Coors Beverage Co. are teaming up on an advertisement to be run during the Big Game.

For Molson Coors, it marks a return to Super Bowl advertising following a 33-year absence caused by Budweiser Anheuser-Busch InBev maker holding exclusive rights to be the only alcohol brand featured during the game. The company ceded those rights last year.

Molson Coors has been teasing consumers and NFL fans with its return to the Super Bowl, running ads asking for input on which of its two famed lite beers — Coors Light or Miller Lite — should be featured.

The ad is expected to  announce that the brewer is teaming up with online betting site DraftKings to give consumers a chance to predict the contents of the brewer’s big game commercial—and earn money if they guess correctly,” reports Suzanne Vranica for the Wall Street Journal.

Some gaming companies are active in the predictive sports space. That’s because it’s an effective way to obtain data and identify new sports betting customers in states permitting that activity. Users like these offerings because free-to-play (F2P) games require no financial risk, while many offer cash or other compelling prizes to winners.

Popular examples of free-to-play predictive games with cash prizes include FOX Bet’s “Super 6” app, which features a slew of games spanning the NFL, college football, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and more.

Coors Tapping Into Sports Betting Craze

By partnering with DraftKings, Molson Coors is signaling it sees value in reaching out to consumers that are enthusiastic about sports wagering.

The Wall Street Journal doesn’t mention if DraftKings and Molson Coors are splitting the cost of the ad. But it would be economical for the companies if that’s the route they select. Thirty-second Super Bowl spots are slated to cost $7 million this year, up from $6.5 million in 2022, while marking a 40% increase in just five years.

DraftKings rival FanDuel is running its own Super Bowl commercial with former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski. Bettors that place a $5 wager on “Gronk” making or missing a field goal are eligible to receive a share of $10 million in prizes.

Bet on Big Booze Return to Super Bowl Ads

With Anheuser-Busch InBev bidding farewell to Super Bowl advertising, the floodgates are open for other alcohol brands to get in on the action.

In addition to Molson Coors, spirits brands Rémy Cointreau and Crown Royal, as well as European beer behemoth Heineken, are expected to run Super Bowl ads this year, according to the Journal.

The game airs Sunday, Feb. 12 on Fox.