With a new partnership with the New York Mets and extensions with the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland A’s, Molson Coors Beverage Co. is heading into the 2020 baseball season with partnerships with 15 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams.
Each of the alliances serves an important role in the Molson Coors strategy of connecting with drinkers and boosting retail activity in major markets, introducing its brands to the next generation of legal-age drinkers and encouraging trial of new products during the key summer selling season. Beer and baseball have long gone hand-in-hand, but the idea of creating branded experiences within ballparks and stadiums has become an increasingly important way to forge more personal and meaningful connections with drinkers who are spending less time in front of traditional media.
“Our partnerships with MLB teams are all about creating experiences in ballparks and stadium settings where fans can enjoy our brands, learn the story behind them and celebrate them with their friends in a communal space,” says Adam Dettman, director of partnerships at Molson Coors. “And it allows us to bring our portfolio to life by driving relevance of our American light lagers, introducing drinkers to our regional craft beers from Tenth and Blake, and our above-premium innovations across our core summer season.”
As part of its MLB club partnerships, Molson Coors will have dedicated spaces – whether branded bars, communal spaces or branded kiosks – in or around each stadium, creating more opportunities for fans to interact with Molson Coors brands.
The Mets partnership and the extensions with the other clubs join the company’s existing partnerships with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Seattle Mariners.
Here's a look at what’s new this year:
New York Mets
The new deal with the Mets grants Coors Light the title as the team’s official domestic beer partner. It also includes a Coors Light-branded bar and a branded section of seats in centerfield at Citi Field. The partnership also calls for a branded bar behind the home plate area that features the branding of Molson Coors’ forthcoming hard seltzer Vizzy.
San Francisco Giants
A multi-year extension with the Giants allows Coors Light to expand its presence in Oracle Park with a new waterfront bar called the Coors Light Cove, an area in center field that allows adults to gather and enjoy a beer and the game from a unique vantage point overlooking the field and its new bullpens. A new Vizzy-branded bar joins other brand experiences in the ballpark, including a bar from craft brewer Hop Valley and a Blue Moon kiosk.
Detroit Tigers
Molson Coors will have two new branded marketplaces in Comerica Park, one featuring Miller Lite branding and the other Blue Moon. The company’s newest craft acquisition, Atwater Brewery, also will be showcased on a branded bar in the stadium, and a new rooftop branded experience called the Vizzy View will be ready for Opening Day. They join an existing Blue Moon Brewhouse and the Miller Lite Pitcher’s Pub in the ballpark.
Philadelphia Phillies
In another multi-year extension, Miller Lite and Leinenkugel’s each will get a new branded destination inside Citizens Bank Park: The Miller Lite Liberty Landing, a bar and communal setting with branded high-top tables, a drink rail and TVs; and a standing-room-only Leinenkugel’s-branded space in left field.
Oakland Athletics
Molson Coors is showcasing two of its above-premium brands in the Oakland Coliseum: Blue Moon and San Diego-based craft brewer Saint Archer.
Milwaukee Brewers
Molson Coors remains the official beer partner of the Brewers via a multi-year extension that includes a handful of new fan experiences, including the Miller Lite Landing, the Leinie Lodge and a Terrapin Beer Company-branded bar. The newly built Miller Lite Landing is a viewing deck perched in the lodge level in left field and includes tables, charging stations, TVs and a 7-foot-tall Brewers logo made of Miller Lite cans. The Leinie Lodge replaces the former Miller Lite Deck and includes seating for up to 60 fans, and the Terrapin-branded bar in the right-field corner is slated to open later in the season.