Bud Light, official beer of The Football Association (The FA), launched a packaging-led campaign ahead of UEFA Euro 2020 called ‘Boxheads’ which features England stars Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker on custom-designed beer packs.
Leveraging its status as the England national team’s official beer and looking ahead to spiking international soccer interest around the summer’s delayed Euros (which will be held from 11 June to 11 July), the initiative aims to offer fans a chance to sip-and-support the side whilst wearing a team and beer branded box.
‘Boxheads’ is an integrated campaign spanning television, out-of-home, digital, social and PR and sees all 12- and 20-bottle packs of Bud Light sold in England adorned with supersized faces of Pickford, Walker and Trippier which also double up as a wearable helmet for fans to show their support (once having drunk the contents). A limited-edition England beer can carrying the Three Lions national team logo completes the packaging tie-in.
The activation, created and developed by agency Wieden & Kennedy London, also includes Boxheads-branded crates available online and in-store.
The campaign is led by a spearhead TV commercial which rolled out from 7 May.
The launch and hero spot was further supported by the players themselves in a PR and social media burst with influencers, players and The Football Association all amplifying the campaign and messaging.
Here we go… #BOXHEADS pic.twitter.com/YSNePGwFi9
— Bud Light UK (@BudLightUK) April 29, 2021
Plus in-store activities communicate the launch direct to shoppers, while a further activation strand sees an England beer store launched in partnership with Amazon.
“We’re super excited to see what the public makes of it all. Starting a conversation around football,” explained Wieden & Kennedy London Paddy Treacy. “Putting an idea out into the world and seeing what comes back. Drink the beer. Wear the box. Support your team. It’s that easy.”
Bud Light Senior Brand Manager Martina Isella added: “Brands often feature the face of their ambassadors on packaging but Boxheads takes it to another level. There simply isn’t anything like it out there. It’s a revolutionary step forward in beer packaging, and we can’t wait to see football fans across the country wearing Boxheads and supporting The Three Lions in a much more fun and immersive way.”
“Bud Light has been an official sponsor of the England men’s team since 2018 and we’re delighted to see how Bud Light is bringing fun to Three Lions fans this summer as Officially the Official beer of England,” commented The FA Commercial Director Kathryn Swarbrick. “While we may have had to wait a bit longer for this tournament, it’s great to see how Bud Light is using its light-hearted humor to bring football fans closer to the action.”
Comment:
A textbook example of thinking inside the penalty box.
Sorry, we just couldn’t stop ourselves.
There are hints here of the wearable packaging tactic used so successfully by Kentucky Fried Chicken in Australia through its long-running and award-winning ‘Bucketheads’ activations.
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