Coors Light spent $0 on Super Bowl ads and generated $12.6 billion in earned media impressions. How? They stopped competing for the peak moment and owned the one nobody else wanted, the Monday after.
In this episode, I break down the Cultural Aftermarket Strategy: how brands win by identifying uncontested emotional territory adjacent to a major cultural moment, then building full campaign ownership around it.
What’s covered:
The exact Coors Light “Monday’s Light” campaign playbook (January–February 2025)
Cross-industry proof: REI’s #OptOutside, Oreo’s blackout tweet, Airbnb’s “We Accept”
Two campaigns that tried this and failed badly — Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad and McDonald’s dead dad spot — and why
4 questions to test whether this pattern fits your client
A free GPT to evaluate your own campaign against the strategy
Plus a brief reflection on Paul Tournier and what Swiss hospitality has to do with why this works.
The full newsletter with data, visuals, and the GPT link is at The Strategy Signal on Substack.
You can go here for the free GPT https://thestrategysignal.kit.com/472e478533
