By Natalie Magierski
This week, Coors Light released a series of ads to promote their beverage with the tagline: “Mountain Cold Refreshments,” only “Refreshments” was misspelled. People took to social media to point out the error and Coors Light even issued a press release. But, on their social media, they linked the typo to a good old-fashioned “Case of the Mondays” — a smart play on the word “case” to denote the cases of beer the brand hopes to sell. And with Super Bowl 59 (LIX) fast approaching, American football fans share the sentiment that the Monday following Super Bowl Sunday is rough for those who may have imbibed the night before, but Coors has a solution for that too as they rolled out “Mondays Light” — a light beer alternative to help hedge the Monday hangover. To err is human, sure, but this, no doubt, was no err at all.
Coors Light’s “Mondays Light” campaign provides valuable lessons for brands looking to humanize their messaging and stay agile in their crisis communication strategies. By leaning into the universal frustration of “a case of the Mondays,” especially following the Super Bowl, Coors Light tapped into an emotional connection with consumers. The campaign blended humor and relatability to turn a common cultural pain point into a lighthearted and authentic brand moment.
This approach demonstrates how brands can humanize their messaging without being overly formal or perfect. Instead, they can acknowledge shared experiences and respond with empathy and wit.
The campaign also offers a compelling example of crisis communication agility. When Coors Light unintentionally (or was it?) misspelled “refreshment” as “refershment” in several advertisements, the brand quickly acknowledged the error with an apology and seamlessly integrated it into the larger narrative of the campaign. This response demonstrates how brands can handle mistakes with transparency and humor, rather than letting them undermine their message. Coors Light’s ability to pivot quickly and strategically engage with audiences—through Instagram sweepstakes and creating cultural moments leading up to the Super Bowl—highlights the importance of flexibility in crisis communication. Agility and authenticity help brands build stronger relationships with their audience.