Badge of honour / The problem here affected both customer and brand. Corona was losing out on a lot of potential sales, and match attendees were unable to enjoy a refreshing brew on match day. In this way, this campaign is similar to Barclaycard and Costa Coffee’s Clever Cups, which allowed customers to pay for coffee with a reusable coffee cup that doubled up as a contactless payment device. Both campaigns are creative and stylish methods of easing the customer journey, and, ultimately, getting sales.
The chosen solution also aligns with a trend in consumer behaviour for contactless payment. Although not yet widespread, contactless payment is rapidly growing in Mexico, having risen in popularity as a more sanitary way to pay during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aside from helping with the pickpocketing problem, the payment method reduces friction for the buyer – no more fumbling around in pockets for cash. As Richard Shotton argues in his book The Choice Factory, customers part with their money more readily when the process is as painless as possible. What’s more, the technology is easily scalable. Corona is currently planning to extend the initiative to a total of 17 stadiums in Mexico, reaching 430,000 potential football fans throughout the season.
Close to your chest / Corona has a history of initiatives connecting Mexican fans to the sport they love. Earlier this year, the brand brought match commentary to Mexico’s indigenous communities with its Native Sportscasters campaign, and in 2020 created a match out of archive footage to entertain football-starved fans during the first Covid-19 lockdown. With this campaign, Corona gets even closer to fans, both metaphorically and literally, by attaching its brand to an object with large sentimental value – in this case the club’s badge. Wearing the team’s colours and kissing the badge when a goal is scored are all part of how fans express devotion to their team. Now, when fans hold the badge and tap to pay, Corona gets to piggyback that positive sentiment, however briefly.
