Behind Coors' product placement strategy in ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Cobra Kai’

The upcoming season of Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” promises Dutton family drama, Montana political intrigue—and plenty of Coors. The Molson Coors brand has extended its product placement deal in the show, which begins its fifth season on Nov. 13. The renewal comes as product placements rise in popularity with brands seeking more ways to gain the attention of viewers who are skipping ads, or not watching any ads at all on ad-free streaming networks. Paramount, of course, runs ads—but Coors sees the show integration as a way to embed its brews within a show that fits its brand ethos. “This Western culture cowboy narrative has always been a part of our DNA. So it was a very authentic partnership for us,” said Tracey Bien Schenck, senior marketing manager for Coors Banquet. Coors, which began putting its beers in the show in 2018, has expanded this season’s arrangement to include “Yellowstone”-themed retail displays, while running a “Live Like a Dutton” sweepstakes that will send the winner and three friends on a trip to a Montana ranch. Coors is also plugging its partnership with the Western cowboy drama with digital ads on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as out-of-home ads and on e-commerce platforms. The deal was brokered by Molson Coors' media agency, which is called Connect and run by Publicis Groupe. Asked about the possibility of pulling the Twitter ads amid uncertainty about Elon Musk’s takeover of the company, a Coors spokeswoman said, “We are staying the course with our original plans on Twitter at this time.” Related: See which brands are pausing Twitter ads In addition to Paramount, Coors also benefits from exposure on Peacock, where earlier seasons of “Yellowstone” are streamed. In previous seasons, scenes featured the show’s rancher characters knocking back Coors at the bunkhouse or at local bars. The show, which stars Kevin Costner as rancher patriarch John Dutton struggling to hold onto the family’s land, has emerged as a hit for Paramount, bucking trends of falling linear TV ratings; the Season 4 finale drew 9.3 million total viewers, up 81% from the Season 3 finale, according to Deadline. Coors representatives declined to reveal what it paid for the deal, but the brand is pleased with its return on investment: Yellowstone viewers are more aware of Coors Banquet and have a higher positive impression of the brand than non-viewers, according to Molson Coors metrics. Risks and rewards Beth Fossen, a marketing professor at Indiana University who has studied product placement, said more brands are using the tactic. “The traditional modes where advertisers could reach people are shrinking,” she said. “It seems to marketers that one of the obvious answers is, let's just put the ads inside the content—people can't avoid them.” Of course, it is not a failsafe tactic. Brands risk backlash if placements are too obvious. One way to skirt that is to avoid running paid ads during commercial breaks. Fossen said her research has revealed that “when you put advertisements inside the program, and you do product placement in the program, it becomes way too prominent, and viewers then realize, ‘Oh, hey, they're trying to sell me something. And as soon as viewers realize that, it loses its effectiveness.” Coors says it will not be running ads during the commercial breaks. Of course, the brand must work to ensure placements are not overt or used in a way not befitting of the brand. Last year, for instance, Peloton was caught off guard when a character in HBO Max “Sex and the City” spinoff “And Just Like That…” died following a strenuous workout on one of the fitness brand’s stationary bikes. (It did not pay for the placement.) Read more: What brands can learn about product placement Asked if Coors has creative control over how its brand is used in “Yellowstone,” Bien Schenck said, “We align on things that we are comfortable with on both sides, and then they have creative liberties to bring that to life in a way that is great for both of us.” She added that “Yellowstone specifically has done such a great job with [how] the characters interact with our brand in a way that doesn't feel like it's forced.” One way to avoid overexposure is to put Coors beer beside other alcohol products. Of course, in bar scenes on Yellowstone, those products are often other Molson Coors brands, but the shared ownership might not be apparent to the average viewer. Coors has also lucked into being featured in other popular programs for which it does not pay. Most notably, Coors has been widely seen in Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” as the favorite beer of the struggling karate teacher character, Johnny Lawrence. As described by americancraftbeer.com, “Down on his luck and stuck in the past, Johnny begins a redemption story and Coors Banquet is never far from his reach.” Ad Age Next: CMO Get your tickets for the Dec. 7 event in New York Register here The actor who plays Lawrence described the choice in a 2019 interview with The Wrap: “It’s just kind of an avant-garde, off-the-grid beer,” he said, adding that with the Netflix exposure, “people know about it now,” and that “I should be getting paid by Coors for all of this.” Maybe he should: Molson Coors in a corporate blog post earlier this year stated that the exposure has led to a bump in Google brand searches and sales, which jumped in the days following the 2021 season premiere—to the tune of 13% in the week ending Jan. 10, 2021 compared with the prior year. For the 2022 season, Coors leaned into the momentum by running a sweepstakes that challenged viewers to tally how many times Coors showed up in the show; entries were collected at Seekthebanquets.com, with prizes including a year’s worth of Coors Banquet and a Coors Banquet-branded bonsai tree. Of course, beer brands must be careful to not promote over-consumption, and Lawrence clearly crosses that line. “While the character Johnny is consuming our products irresponsibly, that's within his character and what the writer wants to portray and get in,” Bien Schenck said. “It is important to know that we don't pay for those placements,” she added. Because if the brand did, “we would make sure that we had a little bit more oversight into how our product was being portrayed.”

Behind Coors' product placement strategy in ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Cobra Kai’

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