On Sunday, Molson Coors announced the launch of Happy Thursday, a non-carbonated spiked refresher developed in conjunction with Gen Z. The announcement marks the conglomerate’s most recent move to becoming a total beverage company.
Happy Thursday — named for the unofficial start of the weekend — will debut in 12-ounce cans in four flavors: Strawberry, Pineapple Starfruit, Black Cherry, and Mango Passionfruit. The brand says it formulated the 4.4 percent ABV beverage based on insights from a panel of Gen Z drinkers aged 21 or over with the goal of releasing a product that helps consumers avoid painful bloating and burning often associated with carbonated drinks. Molson Coors cited TikTok as the inspiration for the launch after coming across multiple videos of Gen Z drinkers decarbonating other bubbly beverages like White Claw and Truly with a milk frother.
“We believe Happy Thursday is everything these consumers are looking for in a spiked refresher: they’re smooth, bubble-free, flavorful, and, of course, refreshing,” says Amanda Devore, senior director for marketing innovation at Molson Coors in the press release.
The panel also offered input on the product’s development process to help shape its look and persona. As such, the fruit-forward flavors and colorful packaging was all designed with a younger audience in mind. According to a Nov. 2022 report from the GNT Group (the global market leader in food coloring production), Gen Z is most attracted to products with brightly colored labels, as this packaging can be associated with healthier ingredients. Molson Coors also believes that these eye-grabbing labels will not only help attract consumers looking for health-minded alternatives, but will also be ideal for sharing on social media.
“Happy Thursday is really a product inspired by its target audience,” Devore says. “We were able to go really deep with them, giving them something they’re really excited about.”
Happy Thursday is expected to hit shelves in March 2024.
