You’ve seen the "Case of the Mondays" trope a million times. It usually involves a frazzled office worker spilling coffee or staring blankly at a spreadsheet while a printer jams in the background. But last year, Coors Light decided to take that cliché and turn it into a full-blown, multi-stage marketing blitz. They didn't just run a TV spot; they temporarily rebranded their beer and gaslit the internet with a typo.
What was the Coors Light Case of the Mondays campaign?
Basically, it was a massive "Big Game" push designed to own the day after the Super Bowl. Coors Light rebranded their standard 12-packs (and 24-packs in Canada) as Mondays Light. The core idea was that the Monday following the Super Bowl is objectively the "crustiest" day of the year. People are hungover, the NFL season is over, and the realization that work still exists hits like a ton of bricks.
The campaign, cooked up by the agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address, kicked off with what looked like a massive screw-up.
Suddenly, billboards and newspaper ads started appearing with a glaring typo: "refershment" instead of "refreshment." Social media, being social media, went into a frenzy. People were calling out the brand for being sloppy. Some even blamed AI for the error. A few days later, Coors Light "confessed" that they just had a "case of the Mondays," using the mishap to announce the limited-edition packaging.
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The Sloth Ad and Timothy Simons
The centerpiece was a 30-second spot featuring slow-moving sloths. It was weirdly hypnotic. The ad showed football fans—who were literally sloths—struggling through their day. They bagged groceries at a snail's pace and crawled through office hallways. It captured that universal, sluggish post-game fatigue.
Actor Timothy Simons (best known as Jonah from Veep) was the face of the teaser campaign. In one of the ads, he’s trying to film a commercial but keeps flubbing his lines, saying "that's not my pasta" instead of "that's not my problem." It was meta, self-aware, and honestly, a little refreshing for a beer ad.
The Giveaway: How to Get a "Case of the Mondays"
The brand didn't just want you to watch; they wanted you to participate. They launched a massive sweepstakes where fans could win an actual "Case of the Mondays."
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Here is how the promotion actually worked for most people:
- Instagram Entry: Fans had to follow @CoorsLight.
- Photo Tagging: You had to post an image of yourself drinking Coors Light after the Super Bowl ad aired.
- Specific Hashtags: Use #caseofthemondays and #coorslightcontent.
- The Prize: It wasn't always a physical case sent to your door. Most winners received a $14 payment, which was the average cost of a 12-pack at the time.
They also dropped some bizarre merch. There was the Chill Face Roller, a holster that let you roll a cold 12-ounce can of beer directly onto your face to "chill out" your morning. Plus, there were sloth-themed bucket hats and neck pillows.
Why the campaign sparked debate
Not everyone was a fan. If you lurk on Reddit's advertising or beer subreddits, you'll see people calling it "millennial cringe" or "manufactured culture." Some critics felt the typo stunt was too obviously fake and that the brand revealed the punchline too quickly.
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Others questioned the message. Is a beer company telling you to drink on a Monday morning at work? Marcelo Pascoa, VP of Marketing at Coors Light, argued it was more about the "vibe" of chilling out during a stressful day. Regardless of the saltiness online, the numbers were huge. Social conversation for the brand spiked 400% after the ad aired, and it was one of the most-searched beer brands during the Super Bowl window.
Taking Action: What Marketers (and Drinkers) Can Learn
If you're looking at this from a business perspective, the "Case of the Mondays" campaign is a masterclass in sustained engagement. They didn't put all their eggs in a single 30-second TV basket. They started weeks early with the "typo" and ended a day late with the Peloton partnership (offering free meditation and "Case of the Mondays" rides with Ally Love).
For the average consumer, it was a reminder that brands are getting better at playing the "I'm human and make mistakes" card.
Next time you see a major brand make a "typo" on a billboard, don't rush to Twitter to correct them. They probably did it on purpose. If you're a fan of the "Mondays Light" aesthetic, keep an eye on resale sites like eBay; the limited-edition 12-pack boxes and the sloth-themed "Chill" merch have become weirdly collectible for fans of beer memorabilia. Just don't expect the $14 rebate to still be active—that ship has long since sailed.
Actionable Takeaways
- Audit "Mistakes": When a brand fails publicly, wait 48 hours before deciding if it's a crisis or a campaign.
- Look for Multi-Touchpoints: The most successful ads in 2026 aren't just videos; they are "ecosystems" involving merch, social tasks, and physical products.
- Check Official Rules: In beer sweepstakes, "winning a case" often means getting a digital payment via Venmo or a gift card rather than a heavy box in the mail.