Coors Light commemorative can replicates the billboard Shohei Ohtani smashed with a foul ball

Rethink’s reactive campaign also included activations at Angel Stadium after the team returned from Citi Field

Published On
Sep 06, 2023
Coors Light can with a black square in the upper left

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A characteristically epic swing from Shohei Ohtani on Aug. 26 turned out to be marketing gold for Coors Light, as it broke some signage the brewer was using at a baseball game in New York—and eventually led to a commemorative can.

In the first inning against the Mets that night at Citi Field, the two-way Angels phenom launched a missile down the right field line. He barely missed a home run, and ended up damaging some digital signage that was advertising Coors Light—leaving a black square of dead pixels on the upper left corner of a Coors Light can.

Here’s the play as it happened: 

The incident earned the brand some mentions from the broadcast team. (“That Coors is very light now,” joked Ron Darling.) But Coors Light agency Rethink soon sprang into action to extend the moment.

“It all felt too serendipitous to ignore,” Aaron Starkman, chief creative officer at Rethink, told Ad Age. “The odds of one of the greatest baseball players of all time not only hitting a Coors Light ad but hitting it directly on the can was a rare opportunity we knew we had to do something about and work fast.” 

The agency shared ideas with the Coors Light brand team that Monday and had this social post up a few hours later:

Fans loved it, so they decided to produce the can for real. They’ve been selling since Tuesday for $17 each at shop.coorslight.com/products/hitsthespot. (As of this writing, there’s still some available.)

Rethink went a step further, extending the campaign to Angel Stadium when the team returned to begin a set again the Orioles this week. The activities there included beverage wraps and a tweak to a high-traffic existing Coors Light billboard outside the stadium to replicate the damaged LED can. 

“Coors Light is all about bringing some chill to every environment,” said Starkman. “Even in a moment that seemed the opposite of chill, we love how everyone on the Coors Light and Rethink team embraced the opportunity to celebrate with Angels fans.” 

Rethink’s previous stunts for Coors Light include designing a weighted hoodie to relieve your football-watching anxieties.

Credits

Date
Sep 06, 2023
Client :
Coors Light
Agency :
Rethink
CCO :
Aaron Starkman
CCO :
Daniel Lobaton
CCO :
Mike Dubrick
ECD :
Xavier Blais
CSO :
Sean McDonald
Creative Director :
Yusong Zhang
ACD Art Director :
Nick Noh
ACD Copywriter :
Jordan Darnbrough
Producer :
Kate A. Spencer
Director of Print Production :
AJ Merrick
Studio Manager :
Todd Bennett
Production Artist :
Todd Bennett
Production Company :
Mt Vernon Production Company
Executive Producer :
Ken Franchi
Motion Camera :
Sean Teegarden
Motion Camera :
Chad Sano
Still Camera :
Christian Hoover Thompson II
DIT :
CJ Miller
Audio :
Erik Clabeaux
Production Assistant :
Eric Ellis
Production Assistant :
Darian Grey
Production Assistant :
Kaylor Myers
PR Lead :
Meredith Montgomery
Account Director :
Sara Lemmermeyer
PR intern :
Marta Miklas
ICF :
Samantha Miller
ICF :
Meaghan Daly
ICF :
Isaac Reynoso
Partner & Managing Director :
Marie Lunny
Account Manager :
Dishant Verma
CMO :
Sofia Colucci
VP Marketing :
Marcelo Pascoa
Sr. Marketing Manager :
Eric Kouri
Associate Marketing Manager :
Saron Strait
Director of PR :
Maya McDonald
Field Marketing Manager :
Allie Mason
Sr. Director Partnership Services :
Bobby Kowan

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Project Type