How This Canadian Brewer Turned Leftover Foreign Currency into Beer
With autumn firmly upon us, the best days of the year to travel (for those in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) are mostly behind us. Sure, there’s something to be said for seeking out warmer pastures as the days up here get darker, but there’s something about summer that just invites travel. Whether that’s the kids being out of school, destinations being at their warmest, or just because everyone else seems to do it, that particular period of the year is often one full of exploration, adventure and globetrotting.
This is especially true for Canadians. According to research by Citizen Relations Canada (Citizen), travel has been up by 312% since 2019 (who doesn’t love a bit of post-covid-19 exploration?). This means that for many, these past few months have featured trips out of country.
In turn, this usually means a lot of leftover foreign currency (after all, it’s pretty hard to actually do anything in other countries when you don’t have the means to pay), which proved the perfect creative opportunity for both Citizen and Molson Coors Beverage Company (MCBC). Rather than let these spare dollars sit unused in the pockets of many, or force people to venture out to generic currency exchange vendors, the beverage company decided to turn its products into a unique form of currency exchange. Starting on September 22nd, Canadians were given the opportunity to visit 938 Queen St. West in Toronto and use any form of foreign currency to purchase a Molson Canadian, Ultra, Export or non-alcoholic Exel… as long as they offered up $3.00 CAD worth of currency. Titled ‘The Molson Exchange’, the four-day execution proved a fun way to cap off summer 2023, rounding off the last warm days of the year with the perfect beverage choice: an ice cold beer.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with the teams from Citizen and MCBC to learn more about how this came to life.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
MCBC & Citizen> Molson asked Citizen to help launch its new ‘Everyone In’ platform by tapping into moments that matter, with the aim of inspiring Canadians to consider the brand. Igniting a sense of togetherness for every Canadian is a priority to Molson, and enjoying a beer on home soil was the perfect moment to bring people together after a busy summer of travel. To make the moment more buzzworthy, we knew we needed to add another layer to an event that would get Canadians talking.
With travel up 312% since 2019, it’s clear Canadians love to explore, which means many of them return home with foreign currency. As such, we began brainstorming ways we could make that foreign currency work on home soil. We thought of various ways to engage with this, but the one that really stood out was the final concept of ‘The Molson Exchange’.
LBB> Specifically, where did the idea of doing a live event come from? Was this something you knew needed to happen from the get go, or did it suit this creative opportunity perfectly?
Citizen> The brand ask and focus on togetherness was certainly suited to hosting a consumer-facing event, but we’ve also learned coming together in person is a huge desire for consumers, and that attending events is something that still holds a lot of excitement! We also had to take into consideration that the physical money exchange would require in-person consumer attendance, so making ‘The Molson Exchange’ a space that consumers would want to visit was a driver for consideration.
LBB> Building on this, what made using Canadian beer as a currency exchange tool the perfect way to cap off travel season?
MCBC & Citizen> The members of the teams thought of their own travels, and how they all shared a common experience of returning to Canada with currency that would hang around in their wallets until the next trip, or would send them to an inconvenient currency exchange line.
Seeing as that currency is often too small to make it worth heading to a currency exchange or bank, doing a hassle-free exchange for a Molson Canadian, Ultra, Export or non-alcoholic Exel was the perfect use of foreign currency. ‘The Molson Exchange’ was able to offer Canadians a chance to gather together for a taste of home, which is really the perfect way to close out the travel season.
LBB> A big question, of course, is, how did the event actually go? How many unique kinds of currencies were exchanged?
MCBC & Citizen> Across four nights, we had the pleasure of hosting consumers who brought many different kinds of foreign currency that were exchanged for a cold can of Molson beer. We saw over 10 different types of currency exchanged - everything from Indian rupees, to USD, to euros and yen. We loved the excitement and the story that Canadians were inspired to share with our tellers and each other when doing the exchange. We also had some patrons who chose to pay in Canadian dollars as well!
LBB> Tell us more about the logistics. How did you account for the various differing values of various currencies against the Canadian dollar?
MCBC & Citizen> Currencies were mixable, and could be topped up with CAD to ensure that the $3 CAD could be met. The exchange process worked the same as any currency exchange, with our tellers calculating the current Canadian rate equivalency in foreign currency. Any applicable change was also returned in Canadian currency.
LBB> As a whole, what challenges came with this project, and how did you overcome them?
MCBC & Citizen> Anytime you’re planning an event, finding the perfect space is always the first challenge. We got very lucky with finding the perfect space on a street that had busy foot traffic and was able to accommodate all of the elements we wanted to include.
The other element that we needed to work out was the actual currency exchange. Anticipating what kind of currency we’d need to calculate was a challenge, as you never know what someone might bring, but we ensured our staff were well trained and had access to currency exchange technology to make the process as seamless as possible.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
MCBC> We worked with some amazing agency partners who were able to make sure that everything was seamless and set up for success. For events that include multiple elements - in this case the currency exchange - working as an IAT ensured that every element was covered. Additionally, working with foreign currencies in an exchange capacity was an element that required an additional level of learning.
LBB> How have people responded to this campaign?
MCBC & Citizen> We had a lot of great feedback from those who attended ‘The Molson Exchange’; that it was not only a fun experience and a chance to gather over a cold beer, but that it got people talking about their travel experiences together. There was an interactive map in the space where visitors could mark where their currency was from, which acted as a conversation starter and led to visitors sharing experiences of their home countries or giving each other travel tips for where they had just returned from.
LBB> Is there a chance something like this will happen again in the future?
MCBC & Citizen> Absolutely! Canadians almost always return from travel with some extra foreign currency in their pockets, and we’d love to give them the chance to look forward to returning to ‘The Molson Exchange’ in seasons to come.
