Coors Light’s Sixth Man: How a Jersey, a Can, and a Hashtag Scored a Whole New Fanbase
(Turning NBA Fandom Into Cold Trial and Hot Engagement in Puerto Rico)
When your brand skews “dad beer” but your target consumer lives on memes, WhatsApp, and highlight reels—what do you do? You find your Sixth Man.
That’s exactly what Coors Light Puerto Rico did to unlock relevance, engagement, and on-premise trial with young adults by turning the NBA partnership into a cultural and digital-first campaign that felt less like advertising and more like a movement.
The Challenge
Coors Light needed more than just visibility. They needed to:
Modernize their image among 18–34 consumers
Activate their NBA sponsorship without alienating older drinkers
Drive real trial and uplift sales by 10%
But the market was crowded, the brand was aging, and Medalla was gaining ground.
The Insight
In basketball, the Sixth Man changes the game—not from the starting lineup, but from the bench. That same energy lives in Puerto Rico’s social life: there’s always one friend who brings the party, the "jangueo," and the chill.
So what if Coors Light could become that friend?
The Strategy
This wasn’t about celebrity hype or product posts. It was a science-meets-creativity plan built in three phases:
1. Driving Awareness (April)
Visual rebrand + new NBA cans + top-funnel content = cultural presence.
Refreshed social look & feel with NBA visuals
Hero videos featuring the commemorative can
Positioned Coors Light as the beer of the playoffs
2. Engaging Consumers (May)
Trivia. Jerseys. Influencers. Memes. This phase lived where fans were talking.
Facebook trivia questions + interactive jersey votes
Influencer content from sports personalities and digital creators
“Tag your Sixth Man” activation to meet NBA legends
3. Driving Trial & Purchase (June)
100+ happy hours and activations across the island—with a finals-night grand slam.
Hyper-targeted on-prem promotions
Massive NBA Finals event with 4,500+ attendees
Custom jersey giveaways, live DJ sets, and appearances by NBA icons
The Results
🔥 Reached 66% of the target audience
🔁 Generated 700+ pieces of UGC
📈 Delivered an 8% sales uplift over plan
🧊 Drove trial twice weekly via on-premise activations
💬 Averaged 3.21% engagement across campaign content
Final Word
This campaign proved that mature brands don’t need to act young—they need to show up meaningfully. By blending sports culture, peer-to-peer relevance, and digitally native content, Coors Light became the Sixth Man of the summer.
While most brands focused on ad spend and sponsorship logos, Coors Light turned participation into conversion. The move? Make the consumer your Sixth Man—and let them bring your brand off the bench and into real life.
