Gimmicks Don't Sell Beer

Stuart Elliott lets us in on a new interactive campaign meant to sell "the world's most refreshing beer."

Coors Light is planning an interactive initiative, scheduled to start in mid-April, that promotes 4:53 p.m. as the new 5 o’clock.

At 4:53 p.m. local time on weekdays, the Coors Light brand symbol, an old-fashioned train called the Silver Bullet, will race across entertainment, news and sports Web sites that are frequently visited by the brand’s core audience of men ages 21 to 34.

In other words, the brand managers in Golden think beer drinkers of the world (at least those with jobs that require them to sit in front of a computer screen all day) need a reminder to log off ESPN and head to the bar.