Coors Light has been running a contest to get you closer to the Toronto Raptors, but you’ll have to work for it.
This season, the brand’s Snapchat followers, who are based in and around the Toronto area, have been receiving clues about where to find a pair of Coors-branded courtside seats in public spaces nearby. When found, fans are given access to those same courtside seats in the Air Canada Centre during a Raptors home game.
The brand has also been promoting the contest on Facebook and Instagram to drive people to Coors Lights’ Snapchat account.
The “Coorside Seats” program actually began last season, when seats for four Raptors home games were given out through a more traditional contest that was promoted through influencers and retail. The reception to that contest last year convinced the brand to expand the contest to every Raptors home game this season and bring it to fans in the Greater Toronto Area, not just the ones living in the downtown core. Response to the contest so far this season has also resulted in the brand deciding to bring the seats to other locations in Ontario.
When it comes to moving the contest to Snapchat, Andree Boisselle, assistant manager of social media for Coors Light, says the benefit is that the platform allows it to be more targeted, ensuring the contest gets in front of the people who have a chance of actually participating and seeking out the seats. The temporary nature of content on Snapchat also feeds into the “in the moment” nature of a scavenger hunt.
Since the contest launched, Coors has been tracking to receive more than three times the social media impressions it generated last season with a similar ad spend.
Coors Light has been the official beer of the Toronto Raptors for three years. Chris Waldock, senior director of marketing for Coors, says the partnership was initially focused on simply driving awareness of Coors Light’s association with the Raptors. Now that is well-established, the brand has been looking for ways to create more of an authentic and rewarding connection with a young, passionate Raptors fanbase.
“Cool TV spots during games have worked great for us,” Waldock says. “But on the social and experiential side, that’s where we have really integrated the brands and elevated the experience for fans… Now we are creating engaging experiences with the fans, and that’s what shows that we’re not just a beer sponsor, but that we’re a fan like them.”