Does basketball stress you out? Is your powerhouse alma mater currently being beaten by a 15 seed named after the most extravagant bird on the planet? Is your bracket falling apart in real time right in front of your eyes?
It’s OK, we get it, and so does Coors Light. The beer company that brought you weighted hoodies for stressful football games and beer holders disguised as other household objects is back with a beer-flavored lollipop to help you keep your cool during the stress of March Madness.
As the annual basketball tournament heats up, @CoorsLight wants to help ease fan tensions with nonalcoholic candies. https://t.co/O5U3MwZ5SD
— Marketing Dive (@marketingdive) March 21, 2022
It’s called the Chillollipop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6KjwX9Gc0
The idea is that a lollipop that tastes (and looks) like a beer not only satiates your sports bar cravings during the game, but also brings back a childlike sense of calm that comes with a piece of candy.
“Something as simple as a lollipop could bring back a positive memory that can help us regulate our current emotion,” Donald Gibson, dean of the O’Malley School of Business and professor at Manhattan College, said in the promotional video. “I think introducing a lollipop, especially to a group of people watching a tense basketball game, could change the tone of the room.”
“The postseason can put fans through the emotional wringer, and when we learned of previous social experiments that distributed lollipops and hard candies in an attempt to help calm bar patrons at the end of the night, we realized we had a chance to help fans get through a stressful time,” April Roberts, associate marketing manager for Coors Light, said in a press release.
Even if it doesn’t totally transform your mood and transport you back to your idyllic childhood while Purdue chokes, it’s a fun gimmick. There aren’t a ton of beer-flavored lollipops in the world. Coors found a new avenue for marketing its product that appeals to its customer base without being too heavy-handed (and without alcohol).
It worked, too. They’re all sold out online.
“They’ve been described as a great beer taste, but with a hint of sugar and malt. You’ll definitely recognize it as a lollipop,” Roberts added.
It directly advertises Coors’ main product and gives you a literal taste of it in a minimal way, all while tying it in with the main cultural attraction of the moment (at least until Will Smith smacks someone else on TV).
It does not, however, fix our totally ruined bracket, though. Thanks for nothing, Gonzaga.
