Patrick Mahomes Coors Light advert

NFL Patrick Mahomes stars in the Coors Light funny advert. As NFL players couldn’t be used in ads for a beer brand, Mahomes pitches a Coors Light branded flashlight.

Maybe this ad is just a teaser for the next year’s Super Bowl as Molson Coors Beverage Co. plans to invest in official in-game advertising space during Super Bowl LVII.

The company’s decision to purchase national advertising space during the game comes following the end of a beer category exclusivity deal in place since 1989 as Anheuser-Busch recently decided to surrender its exclusive right to advertise alcohol during the Super Bowl. That pact effectively prohibited Molson Coors and other beverage and brewing companies from buying official in-game spots.

With its commitment to invest in Super Bowl LVII, Molson Coors is the first major brewer to take advantage of end-of-exclusivity for 2023.

The game, which will be played on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz., and broadcast nationally on FOX, is among the most-watched live television events in the world, often ranking as one of the highest-rated U.S. programs of the year with some 100 million Americans tuning in. It’s also one of the most-anticipated advertising events of the year.

Despite being de facto locked out of national Super Bowl advertising, Molson Coors for the past several years has found other ways to elbow its way into the big game conversation.

This year, Miller Lite became the first beer brand to open a branded bar in the Metaverse surrounding the game, and the year prior, it challenged consumers in a New York Times print ad to manually type the world’s longest browser URL for a chance to win a six-pack of beer.

Coors Light in 2021 launched its “Big Game Commercial of Your Dreams” campaign, which used a technique to guide drinkers’ dreams with prompts manifested in their subconscious as they slept.

Both brands also boast ongoing partnerships with pro football teams and players past and present.

Molson Coors is outperforming nearly every other major brewer over the most-recent 13-week period in terms of industry share gains in the U.S., according to IRI data through July 3. Its two largest brands, Coors Light and Miller Lite have booked their strongest combined performance in years. Newer brands, meanwhile, including Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and Simply Spiked, are each off to rollicking starts, gobbling up share in their respective segments and helping Molson Coors establish itself as this year’s No. 1 dollar share gainer in the flavored alcohol space, data show.