The history of the cold-activated can goes back 10 years. Coors “pioneered” the technology as a gimmick to alert beer drinkers of the “optimal” temperature to drink Coors Light and Coors Banquet. The mountains turn blue? It’s bottoms-up time.
Fast-forward to today, and that same technology is part of a marketing crossover between Mountain Dew and the wildly popular HBO series Game of Thrones. While a previous hook up for the show with Bud Light was all about fire (literally, in the form of a dragon destroying a jousting arena in a lauded Super Bowl ad), this one goes to the other end of the Game of Thrones spectrum: ice.
Last week, the brand created a limited-run special-edition Mountain Dew can inspired by one of the show’s most beloved characters, Arya Stark (played by Maisie Williams)—and her training with the Faceless Men of Braavos. When it’s warm, “A Can Has No Name” is just white and brandless. However, when cold, it reveals Arya’s kill list as a tribute to characters who met their demise in previous seasons—and her remaining targets. It’s a, er, chilling tease to the final season that may show us who wins the throne after all.
Consumers can choose which hoops they want to jump through to get their hands on the Mountain Dew cans. Online, fans can use the hashtags #ACanHasNoName, #ForTheThrone and #MTNDEWsweepstakes to tell the brand what they would sacrifice to have one of the special cans sent to them.
In real life, GoT fans in New York and Los Angeles can snap up a “Master of Coin” that leads them to special Iron Vending Machines that will serve them “A Can Has No Name.” The clues live on Mountain Dew’s social channels.
Supporting the sprawling effort created by Golin New York, the brand released a teaser video featuring notable artists, athletes and cultural icons (and GoT fans) humming along to the show’s main theme that includes NBA superstar Joel Embiid (also a Mountain Dew ambassador), Migos, The Chainsmokers, WNBA rookie of the year A’ja Wilson, UFC champion Holly Holm, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others.
