Bud Light leveraged its NFL partnership at the start of the new football season through a campaign called ‘Easy To Sunday’ which featured salt-of-the-earth Americans preparing for traditional Sunday games in everyday situations – such as diners, parking lots and kitchens – and continued its push towards ‘old-school’ values and ‘classic’ Americana following the wicked backlash from its previous social initiative with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Featuring a cast of what some might describe as ‘heartland’ fans – ranging from a Philadelphia Eagles fan and military veteran who never missed a game when she was deployed to a Tennessee Titans supporter and farmer who listens to every games on the radio in his tractor – the campaign positions Bud Light as a key component of football fan game-day rituals and runs under the tagline ‘Easy To Drink, Easy To Enjoy’.
As well as its official league tie-up, Bud Light also has sponsorships with 27 NFL teams.
The NFL marketing burst, developed in harness with The Martin Agency, spans TV, digital, social and local social, in-store / on-premises, packaging and PR, plus a ticket contest and a $1m giveaway and an #EasyPicks game-related sweepstakes and will run from kick-off, through the season into the playoffs.
The activation, which debuted on 24 August, was spearheaded by a flagship 60-second commercial (backed by 30- and 15-second cut-downs) with cop lines like ‘A day filled with games, a fridge filled with Bud Light, a room filled with family. It’s Easy to Sunday.’
An additional activation strand saw Bud Light bring back a revised set of its limited-edition NFL team can packaging with team logos, colours and player illustrations (alongside a parallel college football can initiative). The new 2023/24 season cans include a QR code that fans can scan for information on how to win an ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ subscription from YouTube and YouTube TV in a $1m brand giveaway.
A second reward led activation phase was a free-to-play #EasyPicks contest: an #EasyToCelebrate beer money #Sweepstakes giveaway offering fans a chance to win after every touchdown.
“The idea is to get back to what Bud Light does best: easy enjoyment with humorous, relatable moments,” said Bud Light VP of Marketing Todd Allen. “There’s not a single actor in this campaign-it’s about authenticity.”
‘Easy to Sunday’ followed in the footsteps of the summer’s ‘Easy to Summer’ campaign which starred NFL players such as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
The NFL work rolled out in parallel with Bud Light’s robust college football marketing programme which also included limited-edition university team cans, as well as local celebrations and on-the-ground / on-campus initiatives.
To drive engagement, limited-edition college football cans feature a QR code giving fans aged 21 and over a chance to win a stadium flyover in a private jet at the game of their choice, plus limited-edition team merchandise from Fanatics.
While a ‘Bud Light Backyard Tour: College Edition’ sees select university towns across the USA treated to tailgates that include free cold beer and DJ performances (including Loud Luxury, Ship Wrek and Acraze) before Saturday games. These also link to a ‘live look’ at the parties provided by key media partners NBC, Big10 Network and Peacock.
Plus AB InBev also teamed up with Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) on expanding their collaborative ‘Decide to Ride’ to college campuses backed by pop-ups, signage and media promotion.
“To ensure a future with more cheers for all, it’s imperative that we help college football fans get home safely. That’s who we are, and that’s what this coalition is all about,” said Anheuser-Busch Chief External Affairs Officer Cesar Vargas.
Comment
The brand’s 2023/24 season NFL and college football activation is something of a back-to-basics, slightly macho football led brand reboot as the embattled brewer Anheuser-Bush continues to try make the world forget about the viscous backlash against its decision to team up with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a social media campaign.
In its efforts to boost diversity and inclusivity, the brand’s brave/foolish move into the thorny trans debate has financially proven to be one of the marketing missteps of the year. One which saw the USA’s former top-selling beer lose its number one slot and lose a serious amount of sales revenue (reported to be more than $610m in lost sales).
While the agency behind the Mulvaney campaign, California-based Captiv8, is also reported to have had to axe 13 employees following the fallout.
And yet, even this fresh work also received some ongoing offensive social media criticism.
Will its big bet on football prove to be enough to save the brand and or restore it to its preeminent status, or is the damage permanent?
However it plays out, the spectre of the Bud Light backlash looks set to haunt the marketing industry and the push towards progressive advertising for years to come.
Stay strong out there. You know how to do the right thing!
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