Using music to create one-off experiences has been key to Coors Light’s Ice Cave Rave, activated this year across cities including Birmingham, Dublin, Sheffield, Glasgow and Manchester. The focus of the campaign, devised with agency Sense, was to drive a real-world live brand experience and showcase the “ice-cold refreshment” brand proposition.
Coors linked up with dance music magazine Mixmag to give guests the chance to interact with a number of “icy” touch points within a “cave” – such as a Coors Light Bar serving pints and Coors Light cocktails, a DJ booth and dance floor – while a gif booth and Instagram printer encouraged visitors to share their musical brand experiences through social media.
After their 30-minute rave, guests left the cave and continued their drinks in a seating area in an outside bar.
“For Coors Light, it is not just about delivering refreshing, great-tasting beer but ensuring we consistently engage consumers with unique experiences they’ll never forget,” Debbie Mack, head of American beers at the brand, says.
Joanna Wharton, account director at Sense, says that using the right genre or striking up the appropriate artist partnerships for an experiential campaign can help brands boost engagement significantly. There is also the sheer entertainment value, which draws attention to campaigns.
“There is the also opportunity to extend reach beyond the direct attendees of the experience,” she adds. “The online streaming of Mixmag’s Lab sessions from the Coors Light Ice Cave, using the Coors Light and Mixmag social channels, enabled the sessions to reach hundreds of thousands more people than simply those in the club.”
Festivals and dedicated music events are proving to be another fertile ground for brands and music collaborations. While music still plays a central role, festivals today are also very much about the overall experience. Wharton says the smart brands are those that do their best to make a positive contribution to the event as a whole rather than just push their products.
“This includes music and brand partnerships,” she says. “This has led to many brands, such as Jack Daniel’s, Innocent and Ben & Jerry’s, hosting their own branded raves, gigs and festivals, with such activities becoming a key part of the music industry.”