Coors Light’s Typo: A PR Masterclass in planned imperfection
Let’s be honest—if your brand has just plastered a spelling mistake across Times Square and The New York Times, you’d probably expect a crisis meeting, not a cheers from the internet.
But this is Coors Light we’re talking about. And instead of running to their nearest proofreader in shame, they did the most genius thing possible—absolutely nothing. For 48 hours.
And then?
“Mondays, am I right?”
And just like that, the “refershment” typo became an actual product: a limited-edition “Mondays Light” beer case—because nothing says “we made a mistake on purpose” quite like selling it back to you with new packaging.
The “Mistake” That Wasn’t
Marcelo Pascoa, Coors Light’s VP of Marketing, spilled the hops on this stunt in an interview with The Drum, confirming what every PR pro suspected:
This was no blunder—it was a calculated, ice-cold PR move.
Here’s why it was brilliant:
1. It Made the Brand Instantly More Relatable
As Pascoa put it, nobody likes a perfect friend. That one person whose Instagram is a never-ending montage of sunrises, abs, and “just landed in Bali” posts.
Brands are the same. Try too hard to be perfect, and you just come off as dull, corporate, and deeply untrustworthy. By leaning into a “mistake,” Coors Light showed humility, humour, and a bit of mischief—and people loved it.
2. It Let the Internet Do the Work
They sat back and let Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram speculate wildly for two whole days before revealing the joke.
Lesson: If you can get the entire internet to market your campaign for free, you’re doing PR right.
3. It Reinforced the Brand’s Identity
Coors Light is all about being chill—so, naturally, they turned a “disaster” into a beer release party.
They didn’t just talk about being laid-back. They proved it. Which is a lot more effective than slapping “We’re fun, honest!” in your brand guidelines and hoping for the best.
4. It Showed Why Playing It Safe is Boring
Pascoa made a great point: brands obsessed with avoiding mistakes also avoid real success.
If you’re so scared of messing up that you only approve ideas that have been done before, then congratulations—you’ve just signed up for Marketing Mediocrity 101.
Coors Light took a risk—but it was a calculated one, based on knowing their brand, their audience, and the power of a well-timed joke.
PR Takeaway: Planned Imperfection is PR Gold
The lesson here isn’t just “turn your typos into beer.” (Although, honestly, if you’re reading this, BrewDog, there’s a free idea for you.)
The real lesson? Your brand doesn’t need to be perfect—it needs to be interesting.
So next time you slip up, lean in. Own it. Maybe even sell it. Because if Coors Light has taught us anything, it’s that “refershment” isn’t just a typo—it’s a state of mind.
Credit:
Insights from The Drum’s interview with Marcelo Pascoa, VP of Marketing at Coors Light. Read the full article here: The Drum – 5 Reasons Coors Light Kicked Off Their Super Bowl Campaign With a Typo