Start Your Legacy
Coors celebrates 150 years with new Banquet campaign and support for small businesses
By Alex Parker, 10 May, 2023
With a lineage that stretches back to 1873, Coors Banquet can talk a lot about legacy.
It's a beer that was famously smuggled across the country before it was widely available. It's been a favorite of movie stars, rock legend and presidents. And it's always been brewed in Golden, Colo, with 100% Rocky Mountain water.
As Coors Brewing Co. Marks it's 150th anniversary this year, Banquet, which traces it's heritage back to the early days, is leading the celebration. The brand is rolling out a new global campaign it’s calling “Start Your Legacy,” featuring new packaging, new merchandise, new ads and retail tools, all culminating with a huge party in Coors’ hometown of Golden this fall.
And it’s looking to help small business owners establish a story of their own.
Starting May 10, National Small Business Day, Coors Banquet is asking legal-age consumers to go online and tell the brand about their big idea. The brand is doling out $150,000 to deserving entrepreneurs, along with some beer, of course.
“Only about half of crowdsourced projects actually reach their goal. That’s a lot of legacies that never get started,” says Tracey Bien Schenck, senior marketing manager for Coors Banquet. “We understand how tough it can be to get the support to start a passion project or business, so we want to give a kickstart to legacies in the making.”
The brand is looking to support small business that meet its values, “like a willingness to persevere through hardships and commitment to making a positive impact in the community,” Bien Schenck says. “Legacy means a lot. That’s something we understand at Coors.”
To support the “Start Your Legacy” campaign, Coors Banquet is releasing a new commercial featuring the voice of actor Cole Hauser.
The spot opens on a grainy image of snow-capped mountains and cuts to images of a roaring river as Hauser says, “The same Rocky Mountain water. The same brewing tradition that started 150 years ago in Golden, Colorado.”
Images of Coors Banquet in the hands of rock stars, smugglers, cowboys and presidents play throughout, while Hauser tells viewers compromise isn’t part of the Coors Banquet legacy. “What do you want to go down in history for?” he asks as the ad closes with “Start Your Legacy.”
he ad will air across streaming and social media platforms this summer. It will be complemented by out-of-home and radio ads, as well as in-store retail tools and new merch available on Coors Banquet's online store.
Coors Banquet also is launching new packaging to commemorate Coors’ 150 years of brewing tradition. Cans and bottles include phrases like, “If it’s not Rocky Mountain water, it’ll never be Banquet” and “What will you be known for in 150 years?”
Legal-drinking age consumers can scan a QR code on the packaging for a chance to win a trip to Golden to take part in Coors’ 150-anniversary celebration in late September.
While Coors Banquet is touting its historic legacy, it’s also making a splash today. The brand made headlines in the fall when it was announced as the official beer of season 5 of “Yellowstone,” one of the most popular TV shows around. Dollar sales were up 13% over the four-week period ending April 23, coming off 10% dollar-sales growth in the full-year 2022, Circana data show.
That's all setting up the brand nicely for what is an important year in 2023.
“It’s a really exciting year to tell more people about Coors Banquet. It’s stood the test of time and has always stayed true to its roots,” Schenck says. “It’s a beer with a story and true legacy.”