As Cold as the Rockies

I love the Coors Light NFL press conference commercials, almost as much as I don't understand their whole cold-activated can and 'windowed' case campaign. Does anyone really need to be told when their beer is cold enough for consumption? And yet, Coors has apparently ridden this decently clever but ultimately worthless gimmick to a virtual tie with Miller for second place in the American light beer market behind Budweiser.

These three light beers are all essentially the same: cheap, weak, and watery. What's interesting to me is how the different companies try to set themselves apart through advertising. All three target the same young, male, sports-mad, coed-chasing, chicken wing-craving market, and all of their ads seem to unfold in more or less the same way: drink our beer, because we understand you and your desire to be clever, charming, athletic, dominant and drunk.

So, how do certain ad campaigns like these manage to succeed or fail? Some individual ads are particularly good, but do people actually buy beer based on a single commercial? Do people really buy Coors Light because the mountains turn blue at 34 degrees? Or do young men make their light beer selections based upon stronger points of association and identity, like family tradition, location of alma mater, or local happy hour specials? Just something to think about during the next commercial break.