Bud Light Celebrates Fans Via Team-Specific NFL Can Campaign Spanning National & Local Assets

Not only is the NFL back, but so too are beer sponsor Bud Light’s NFL team cans.

The Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL has released 720 million redesigned NFL team cans and is promoting them through a nationwide US marketing campaign featuring the cans front and centre.

Spearheaded by a new TV commercial, launched to leverage excitement around the new season and debuting during Thursday Night Football, featuring football fans and former star players Bo Jackson, Justin Tuck, Tim Couch

Called ‘This is Your Can’s Year’, the spot takes spectators on a league-wide journey through game day fan experience and team traditions.

It is voiced by actor Michael K Williams, who asks: ‘Will this can repeat? Will this can make it back?’ (with shots of a hand reaching into a ice cooler to pull out a Broncos Bud Light can and then features a Carolina Panthers can awaiting a drinker at a tailgating party), ‘Or is this your can’s year?’ (as a fridge full of New England Patriots cans appear).

The spot plays up both the brand’s legacy and the legacy of individual teams with the line ‘You root for this can, your father roots for this can, your father’s father rooted for this can.’

The central 75-second film – which was directed by music and movie Mark Romanek – comes in both 15- and 30-second versions, as well as unique team-specific Bud Light spots in local markets.

As well as the TV work running through the NFL season, the integrated Bud Light can campaign also spans a mix of radio, print, digital, and team specific and even game specific social content pieces,

.@MiamiDolphins here’s a cold one for the comeback. #FinsUp #MyTeamCan pic.twitter.com/aksjMNJc2f

— Bud Light (@budlight) September 18, 2016

These cans have history. It’s time to write another chapter. #NYJvsBUF #MyTeamCan pic.twitter.com/Zgy7fncz2T

— Bud Light (@budlight) September 14, 2016

plus programmatic advertising and retail elements, as well as local OOH executions targeting fans of individual teams, while digital and social assets are linked with the #MyTeamCan hashtag.

Throughout the season Bud Light will also kick off each week’s first game as the presenting sponsor of Thursday Night Football on CBS and NFL Network, integrating the brand and its NFL team cans throughout the broadcast.

While, as a one off initiative to officially mark the NFL new season kickoff, Bud Light even rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, September.

A further campaign strand is the ‘Thursday Night Cantasy Football’ – a season-long game based on TNF.

Introducing Thursday Night Cantasy Football, the season-long game based on TNF. Draft your team today. #BLCantasy https://t.co/KGKemxfdWV

— Bud Light (@budlight) September 13, 2016

The umbrella campaign creative was developed by Bud Light’s lead creative agency Wieden+Kennedy.

The team can concept was first introduced back in 2013 and it ran again in 2015 (see case study) the aim of bringing the idea back (albeit with more minimal design approach) this year was to enable Bud Light to tap into individual fan passions and leverage specific team stories.

In addition to its league deal with the NFL, Bud Light also has partnerships with 28 of the 32 franchises (it is not an official partner of the Packers, Cowboys, Bears or Vikings).

‘Just like wearing your favourite player’s jersey or team colours is a badge of honour, so is drinking from your Bud Light team can,’ claims Bud Light senior marketing director Mark Goldman.

‘Our mission with our new film was to pay tribute to the passion fans feel for their team, and capture the optimism that we all feel as NFL fans at the beginning of the season, when it truly can be your team’s year.’

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With 2,599,106 YouTube views in its first week, the launch spot is gaining some solid traction.

This league-wide, yet team/fan-specific approach is now something almost expected from an NFL sponsor with a long heritage of football activation.

The brand certainly knows how to leverage a league deal and yet still engage the passions of fans of specific teams.

Although its Super Bowl work, led by celebrities Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen, was something of a departure from this tried and tested formula (see case study).

Links

Bud Light Web:

www.BudLight.com

Bud Light YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/official…

Bud Light Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BudLight

Bud Light Twitter:

https://twitter.com/budlight

Bud Light Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/budlight/

Bud Light Google+: