How Corona made a billboard out of shadows

I fkn love a good out of home campaign.

Do you know what else I love? A good beer.

Do you know who nailed both of these things? Corona.

(Leave me alone hops purists. I am in fact, Just A Girl™)

In 2022, Corona revealed a new billboard placed in Brighton’s seafront. But it was only fully visible for 15 minutes a day.

That’s because the main features of the billboard were created by the evening sunlight between 6.30 and 6.45 pm. During this window, the shadow cast formed a bottle on the yellow board.

The campaign is a great example of integrating purpose with execution to create something unique.

But you could only see the billboard for 15 minutes a day.

What was the point of that???

The billboard aimed to celebrate Corona’s ‘100% Natural’ campaign. This campaign highlighted the all-natural ingredients in a Corona beer. For years, Corona’s global growth went flat.

The brand over-performed in 'refreshing' and 'relaxation' attributes. But it suffered when it came to 'high quality.' Corona realised this was an area they could improve to win over consumers to whom quality was an important factor. ‘100% Natural’ was Corona’s way of doing so.

Let's break this campaign down:

Background.

Corona is world-famous for being a beer that is best enjoyed outside, in nature. To build on this natural positioning, they crafted a campaign with a simple message: Made from the natural world with 100% natural ingredients.

Challenge.

The market is oversaturated with marketing messages from other brands about better ingredients. And that space is only getting noisier.

Idea.

To stand out from all the noise, Corona let nature do the talking. Using thoughtful design and local greenery to harness the power of the sun, they created a 100% natural billboard. This shone a light (literally) on the beauty and benefits of using 100% natural ingredients.

Execution.

The brand measured the sun’s movements over the span of 1000 hours to create something that only worked for 15 minutes a day. But the message was loud and clear. And it was delivered in a way that didn’t disrupt, but enhanced, its natural surroundings.

The brand accompanied the billboard with a sunset acoustic gig, powered by a solar generator. They also set up a bar made from repurposed wooden pallets, for the vibes.

This is such a cool way to execute a campaign.

Integrating the ‘100 Natural’ message with the actual activation made with all nature's elements is just chefs kiss. The fact that it was time-sensitive brought FOMO into play, making the whole thing genius.

I also just want to go there to like, have a beer, listen to the band, in the sunset, on the beach front. Wind in my hair, lover on my arm. Because how fkn sick does that sound?

So what can your brand learn from Corona's natural billboard?

• Align your campaign with your values. This campaign was so effective because it mixed its brand messaging into the execution. Consistency between campaign elements and brand values is crucial. It helps garner consumer trust and enhances authenticity in your audiences’ eyes.

• Create a memorable experience. I love a good ad, don’t get me wrong. But when a brand gives me an experience that makes me feel something, that is undoubtedly more memorable. And it will 100% make me happier about buying their product. For I am a slave to consumerism.

• Location, location, location. Corona knew what they were doing when they placed this activation at Brighton Seaside, the most eco-city friendly city in the UK. This strengthened their 100% natural messaging and enhanced the campaign's reach and relevance.

SPEAKING OF WHICH. All this writing is making me thirsty, I’m sure it’s 5pm somewhere.

-Sophie, Copywriter