Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility
Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?
WEIRD MARKETING
Brewer launches beer-flavoured lollipops to keep sports fans relaxed
By our News Team | 2022
An annual basketball tournament in the US gets sports fans hot under the collar. A beer brand has seen an unusual marketing opportunity.
Watching the annual men’s college basketball tournament in the US is apparently so stressful that fans either need to suck on a lollipop or drink a beer.
At least American beer brand Coors Light thinks so. And to help sports lovers deal with the anxiety of the event known commonly as NCAA March Madness, it recently launched beer-flavoured lollipops called ‘Chillollipops’, which will be available until the tournament ends in early April.
According to Coors, basketball fans “could use a little chill” and hence it decided to bring the chill via the Chillollipop, which it describes in a breathless press statement as “refreshing beer-flavoured lollipops”.
Photo courtesy of Coors Light
Explaining this slightly unusual brand strategy, the company said it drew inspiration from previous social experiments where lollipops and hard candies (sweets) were distributed to club patrons and bar-goers at the end of the evening to calm them down.
Brand enlists the advice of a professor
As the brand known for its chill ethos, Coors Light enlisted the advice of Manhattan College professor, Donald E. Gibson, Ph.D., who weighed in on the charged state sports fans experience while watching games.
“Emotions are contagious,” said Gibson. “If there are strong emotions around us, it’s very easy to be swept up in them. I believe that something as simple as a lollipop could have a calming influence in an emotionally charged situation.”
The brand hopes the Chillollipop will bring calm to the madness of college basketball.
“March is one of the most stressful times of the year for a college basketball fan,” said Marcelo Pascoa, Vice President of Marketing for the Coors Family of Brands.
“During all the incredible highs and lows of March basketball, Coors Light is the brand to bring a moment of chill. Whether in the form of a Chillollipop to bring the calm, or a mountain-cold Coors Light to refresh spirits.”
The lollipop, intended for consumers 21+ and crafted to taste similar to Coors Light, does not contain alcohol. But it does have a frothy foam top, similar to the experience of drinking a Coors Light from a pint glass.
Anyone feeling stressed today? Try a lollipop. Beer-flavoured, of course!
The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI
Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.
Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession
Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.
Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan
Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.
We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?
Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.
Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers
Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.
FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards
South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.
Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths
Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.
Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI
Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.
Top African marketing voices confirmed for AMC 2026
Explore the 2026 AMC Conference speaker line-up. Top African marketing voices gather in Zambia to tackle AI, AfCFTA, and brand power. Register today.
Broadcast Research Council confirms launch of total video measurement
New industry currency will bring South African television and online video audiences together in a single measurement system.