We are midway through January here in New York when we finally get our first real blast of winter weather. We have been spoiled so far with relatively mild weather up until this week, where we finally had temperatures in the mid 20's to low teens. It is usually at this time when we pine for the warmer weather. Where we look for a beach break, and Corona has the answer.
We all have seen the commercials for Corona beer. They are very simple, yet very effective. It just involves a guy and a girl, whose faces you never see, just sitting on the beach in their promotional chairs, enjoying an ice cold Corona. Recently, they have taken the commercials a step further, by using people in social situations being "taken" to their beach once they grab the Corona. These commercials send a clear message: "Drink our beer, and feel like you are in a tropical paradise." However, with the use of promotional products and social media such as Facebook, they have taken their ad campaign one step further by introducing a contest aptly called "Corona Beach Break".
The concept of the contest is pretty simple. On Corona's Facebook page is the tab for the Beach Break. Each week, Corona puts up challenges that the participants must complete. The challenges either involve "checking in" at a particular location, taking and uploading a picture doing whatever Corona describes, or creating an event through Facebook that pertains to the guidelines set by Corona. Every time you complete a challenge, you earn points, which can be redeemed for Corona branded promotional products or prizes. The prizes range from promotional keychains, promotional luggage tags, promotional bottle openers, promotional cups and mugs, and promotional apparel, to more high end items such as kayaks and vacations. The contest is simple to compete in, and Corona went as far as to make an app for smart phones so you can "play on the go."
The simplicity of this contest is what makes it engaging. I have been playing this for a little while now, and I have accrued a good amount of points. My goal is to win the sailboat, but I have enough right now for the kayak. Since the prizes are all promotional products that have Corona's logo, it's a great way to advertise the brand without the participant realizing it. Integrating the contest with Facebook allows the brand to stay in contact with its consumers, as well as grow the fan base with the contest as bait to their page. They stand to gain a lot of useful information to help market their brand, while rewarding loyal customers. Corona has come up with a great concept and has executed it beautifully.
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