There was a time when Canadians would put a maple leaf flag on their backpacks when they traveled. They’d display it proudly - as a symbol of kindness and character. Well, times change. We still have character and kindness, but over the years Canada’s identity has evolved - and Molson was slow to catch up. Relying on old cues (plaid shirts, hockey, camping) was holding the brand back.

In 2023, its sales had been in decline for nearly two decades and volume was half of what it was in 2000. The brand launched “Everyone In”, a new platform that reflected Canada’s diverse beer drinkers more accurately (complete with Drake as the soundtrack to the video). What it needed now was an act to signal this shift, build relevance and break ambivalence in Canadian drinkers, and turn its sales around.

Canada is celebrated the world over for being open and inclusive, but when Canadians fly internationally (43M+ trips in 2023), they bring back foreign currency that finds no welcome here. To keep perfectly good beer money from going to waste, Molson opened The Molson Exchange, a first-of-its-kind forex where Canadians could trade any foreign currency for one of its refreshing beers—at the going rate. What’s more, by setting up shop in Toronto’s hip Queen West neighbourhood, the in-store experience rekindled interest in a homegrown beer that most young drinkers weren’t seeking out.

The beer category was in steep decline, either from changing attitudes - with Generation Z drinking 20% less than millennials - or the increase in functional drinks and cannabis. Younger drinkers are more diverse, more LGBTQ+, open minded and higher educated than Molson’s typical audience. Meanwhile, Budweiser held its grip as the #1 beer in Canada.

Even though summer brings 18% more consumers to the beer aisle, 70% of Molson is consumed by people 50+, not our younger demo (19-34). Molson was not the brand that showed up in their neighborhoods or understood their drive for travel. Our audience was more likely to associate Molson with hockey and cottages, not cricket and parks.

We discovered a uniting truth - Canada’s diversity meant that travel is commonplace. With 43M international trips last year, Canadians came back with a lot of loose foreign change. To Molson, that’s a waste of perfectly good beer

The Molson Exchange opened its doors in Toronto’s hip Queen West neighbourhood just as Canadians returned from their summer travels. As the name suggests, visitors could trade any leftover foreign currency, at the going rate, for a Molson Canadian, Ultra, Export or Exel.

To build hype, Molson first previewed the experience with media and influencers at an exclusive event that saw Toronto’s top creators post over 40 pieces of content. It then launched targeted media relations, offering interviews with Molson brand spokespeople. The Molson Exchange was suddenly being talked about as the must-visit experience in Toronto Sun, View The Vibe, BlogTO, and Gent’s Post. There was even an interview and feature on CP24!

With momentum building organically, Molson found itself in the enviable position of scaling back on paid influencer support. That content, and the brand’s own efforts, ensured locals traded their small foreign change for tall domestic cans.

Earning cultural currency (no pun intended) doesn’t just happen - it’s created. We knew we had to untangle Molson’s brand perception with the reality of most Canadians. By popping up in a small but culture-driving neighbourhood, we were able to create space for new stories to emerge. This spoke to Molson’s commitment to understanding both a new generation of beer drinkers and what it takes to show up with nuance in 2024.

The Exchange gained traction because it was a first of its kind.

For the first time in almost two decades, Molson experienced a 5% increase in sales, surpassing our goal by 44%. By geotargeting sales data, we were able to pinpoint how and where our activation moved the needle.

35MM earned impressions - 291% of stretch impressions goal. 183 media placements in top tier, targeted publications and over $1.2M in earned media value