If you’ve ever walked through a city on a hot summer day and felt like you were trapped inside an oven, you’ve experienced the urban heat island effect.
Concrete, asphalt, and dark rooftops absorb the sun’s heat and hold onto it like a grudge, making already hot cities even hotter.
For some, this is an inconvenience. For others, especially those living in underprivileged communities where air conditioning isn’t always an option, it’s a serious health risk.
After all, extreme heat can be deadly, and the most affected areas are often those with the least resources to combat it.
Coors Light saw this not as a problem but as an opportunity. The brand’s goal was not just to sell more beer, but also to actually help people chill.
A Refreshing Take on Outdoor Advertising
Coors Light, in collaboration with creative agencies DDB Chicago and Nord DDB Denmark, launched “Chillboards” in 2023—a guerrilla marketing campaign that doubled as a public service.
The idea?
Paint MASSIVE, eye-catching ads on rooftops using a special reflective white paint that bounces back sunlight and reduces indoor temperatures.
Basically, it wasn’t just about putting messages on rooftops but also about turning those rooftops into cooling stations.
With a custom typeface designed to maximize surface coverage (because every degree matters), the Chillboards reflected 85% of sunlight, cooling rooftops by as much as 50°F (28°C).
Imagine a billboard that doesn’t just advertise but also actually makes life better—that’s Chillboards in a nutshell!
Photo from YouTube
The first city to experience Chillboards was Miami, Florida—a place where humidity and heat team up to make summer nearly unbearable.
To execute this campaign, Coors Light, alongside Jane Gilbert, the world’s first Chief Heat Officer (yes, that’s a real job), identified rooftops in some of Miami’s hottest and most underserved neighborhoods.
By the end of the project, over 36,000 square feet of rooftop space had been transformed into cool, white heat-fighting billboards.
Photo from Molson Coors
The impact?
A 10°F (6°C) drop in indoor temperatures, leading to a 20% reduction in air conditioning costs, and total energy savings of around USD 40,000 annually in Miami!
Not bad for a few buckets of paint and some creative thinking, right?
How Chillboards Measured Up
So, did the Chillboards actually work?
YES!
The campaign didn’t just generate buzz; it also delivered real-world benefits such as:
- Lower Rooftop Temperatures – Surfaces covered with Chillboards were up to 50°F (28°C) cooler than regular rooftops. That’s the difference between “scorching hot” and “comfortable enough to touch.”
- Cooler Indoor Spaces – Residents in Chillboard-covered buildings reported indoor temperatures dropping by 10°F (6°C)—a game-changer for those without air conditioning.
- Lower Energy Bills – With less reliance on air conditioning, electricity usage in those buildings dropped by 20%.
- Massive Public Awareness – The campaign wasn’t just about helping people but also about starting a conversation. Media outlets, environmental groups, and urban planners took notice of Chillboards, with many calling for similar projects worldwide.
- Positive Brand Perception – While Coors Light never made this about selling beer, the goodwill they earned was priceless. Surveys showed a significant boost in brand affinity among younger consumers, proving that doing good is good business.
The campaign also bagged awards from various award-giving bodies in the industry, which include:
- Silver and Bronze Lions at the 2023 Cannes Lions Awards
- Best of Discipline winner at the 2023 One Show Awards
- One Graphite Pencil, two Wood Pencils, and two Shortlists at the 2023 D&AD Awards
Congratulations, Coors Light, DDB Chicago, and Nord DDB Denmark!
These figures and accolades are proof that the Chillboards campaign truly made a mark not just only in the business and marketing realm but also in the lives of the people it reached.
*Applause*
More than a one-time stunt?
Coors Light didn’t stop in Miami…
After seeing the initial success of Chillboards, the brand pledged to donate 5,000 more gallons of reflective paint to communities in need, covering over a million square feet of rooftop space.
Cities in Canada, Mexico, and Brazil are next in line, proving that this wasn’t just a one-off stunt but also a movement.
Other brands and municipalities have started taking notes, realizing that simple solutions can have HUGE impacts.
What started as an out-of-the-box marketing campaign has evolved into a blueprint for how companies can make a tangible difference in people’s lives, all while staying true to their brand message.
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As you see, Chillboards weren’t just about selling beer. They were also about redefining what marketing can do.
Instead of another billboard on a highway, Coors Light put its message where it actually mattered—on the rooftops of people who needed help the most.
This campaign is proof that marketing doesn’t have to be loud and intrusive to be effective. Sometimes, the best way to make an impact isn’t with a flashy ad but with a bucket of paint and a big idea.
So, the next time you crack open a cold one, remember: Coors Light isn’t just “Made to Chill”—it’s helping communities chill, too.
… and that’s a campaign worth toasting to.
Cheers!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you find this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!”
Cheers,
Dyane Diasanta
Senior Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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