For the start of the new season, Bud Light leveraged its official NFL beer status by teaming up with Twitter for a self-described ‘first-of-its-kind’ virtual fan experience which offers supporters a chance to celebrate with their favourite teams in the end zone after a touchdown.
Based around a Bud Light sponsored camera and flat-screen TV end zone installation in stadiums across the country, the aim is to showcase players and fans celebrating together in a season when fans can’t attend games in person due to pandemic restrictions.
This social in-stadium experience links devoted fans at home to their teams on the grid iron by creating dedicated socially-linked physical place for players to celebrate major in-game moments with their fans. It also allows the players to bring their own characters and personalities to life and share their feelings with fans via the real-time Showtime Cam.
The ‘Bud Light Showtime Cam’ made its debut during the 2020 NFL season opener which saw the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Thursday, 10 September 10 and will be featured at future match-ups throughout the 2020 season.
Throughout the whole season, players will be encouraged to celebrate with fans through the branded live cam, while fans will have a chance to participate by tagging their NFL football tweets with the #ShowtimeCam and #BudLightSweepstakes hashtags.
Bud Light will select one winner a week among eligible Twitter users between 11 September and 1 January.
The initiative was introduced and promoted by Bud Light on Twitter at @BudLight and on Instagram at @BudLight and is open to any US resident aged 21.
Look for the @budlight #ShowtimeCam in the end zones in Kansas City tomorrow, and you might see your tweets on the screen! pic.twitter.com/dr5P01YJ6Z
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2020
“As the official beer sponsor of the NFL, we’re excited to welcome football fans back to the sport they love, giving them access to one of the most noteworthy moments in sports – the touchdown celebration,” said Bud Light Marketing VP Andy Goeler. “Bud Light Showtime Cam not only brings fans closer to the players they know and love, but will also provide those watching at home a unique fan experience – a celebration alongside their team, while enjoying their favorite Bud Light product.”
“We are excited to bring this one of a kind experience to life this season, when our fans are craving connection more than ever. The ‘Showtime Cam’ will provide our fans an interactive, in-stadium game experience directly from their homes or their mobile devices,” added NFL SVP Social & Influencer Marketing Ian Trombetta. “This is a way for us to connect our loyal fans together with our players on Twitter during the game, enabling the exhilaration of big moments to be celebrated from anywhere.”
“Twitter will be the roar of the crowd for NFL fans this football season with the ‘Bud Light Showtime Cam’ taking fans inside the stadium and on to the sidelines,” coommented Twitter’s US Sports Partnerships Head TJ Adeshola. “We’re looking forward to seeing all kinds of ‘showtime’ in Twitter timelines this season and with our partners at the NFL and Bud Light, celebrating the best football moments all season long…together.”
Comment:
With few or no fans allowed into stadiums at the start of the 20/21 season, this initiative aims to offer an unforgettable, virtual experience which brings fans and players from their favourite teams closer together on the pitch.
It is another inventive example of property owners and sponsors joining together to come up with solutions to finding new ways to engage fans during an NFL season during which many stadiums are closed to fans because of the coronavirus.
Bud Light’s NFL activation echoes the approach of sister brand Michelob Ultra (also owned by AB InBev)’s NBA video-led digital experience which featured 300 fans ‘attending’ games on giant court-side videoconferencing screens via a Microsoft collaboration (see case study).
It also follows on from Bud Light’s virtual NFL Draft #BooTheCommish campaign back in April 2020 (see case study).
Links:
Bud Light
https://www.budlight.com/showtimecam
https://www.instagram.com/budlight/
https://www.facebook.com/BudLight
NFL
http://www.nflshop.com/source/bm-nflc…
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