“Sixty percent of our volume comes from rural counties, and in our conversations with those consumers, some clear themes emerged,” says Matt Lafferty, marketing manager for Keystone Light. “We want to celebrate the sense of community, self-sufficiency and fun that comes from that rural lifestyle they’ve chosen.”
The new ad – called “Bar Barn” – embraces that ethos, positioning Keystone Light as an easy-drinking companion to rural life, Lafferty says. In the ad, a man welcomes friends to his barn, part of which he’s painstakingly transformed into in a watering hole complete with a bar and neon signs. The featured beer? Keystone Light, of course.
Keystone Light also announced a partnership with Realtree, a maker of camouflage apparel. Available on Keystone Light’s new online store, shop.keystonelight.com, the collection includes sweatshirts, hats, jackets and even a pool that fits in a truck bed. Legal-age drinkers can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win the collection.
The focus on rural consumers isn’t new for Keystone Light, which plays a key role in Molson Coors’ economy strategy, but the fresh campaign represents its most focused efforts to date to court those drinkers. Keystone Light has the second-highest buyer loyalty in the entire beer category, according to IRI. The brand also has the second-highest buy rate in the category, growing 11% versus last year, according to IRI data for the week ended April 17.