The Corona coup: How Constellation sells so much bad beer

corona 2Granted, American drinkers guzzle a lot of beer that doesn’t draw rave reviews. For example, according to Chicago-based research firm IRI, one in five beers downed in the U.S. is a Bud Light, hardly a go-to for beer snobs. Bud Light and Coors Light are popular in large part because they’re cheap. Corona, at $30 a case on average, is almost twice the cost of Natural Light, the No. 6 selling beer in the country.

So how has Constellation kept the Corona party going? In a word, marketing. Crown always pushed Corona pretty hard, but Constellation has been even more aggressive with its advertising since it took over entirely in June. Specifically, it set out to boost its return in colder months.

Constellation rolled out a campaign in the fall featuring former NFL coach Jon Gruden during Monday Night Football. Meanwhile, the company cooked up a Thanksgiving promotion with Woodbridge and Butterball. The receptionists on Butterball’s turkey hotline were pushing Corona as a logical pairing choice.

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