Coors Light has been in the China market for over ten years but has failed to attain significant market share or momentum. In 2005, Molson Coors appointed DDMA to lead a brand repositioning programme and to assist in business strategy development.

DDMA undertook an initial round of consumer focus groups which provided a complete picture of where Coors Light was currently positioned in the marketplace. Based on this knowledge a series of alternative positionings were developed and these were submitted to a further round of qualitative and quantitative testing among target consumers, retailers and distributors. The results of this process identified a more compelling positioning for Coors Light which was targeted on the night accounts or nightclub and bars channels.

DDMA also identified several second and third tier markets where Coors should focus their marketing efforts and spend. These markets met a set of pre-determined economic, social and trade criteria and, most importantly, had a significant premium beer segment which was not dominated by other international players. Two of the key markets selected were Kunming and Lhasa. Once the markets were selected, a trade overview was conducted which identified key on-premise, and hence, image building accounts. Suitable local distributors were appointed to support these accounts. A complete re-launch strategy was then developed and implemented.

Coors Light grew by 80% in volume terms in China, in 2005.