Budweiser Donates FA Cup Sponsorship Space In ‘Support Your Club, Support Your Pub’

Budweiser leveraged its rights as the official beer of The Emirates FA Cup through an ad space donation initiative to Final fans’ locals in Leicester City FC and Chelsea FC called ‘Support Your Club, Support Your Pub’.

The US based beer giant, a long-time partner of The Football Association (The FA), donated all of its advertising and sponsorship space to eight pubs in West London and in Leicester for the Emirates FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leicester on 15 May.

The initiative calls on football fans to support their local pubs – which are positioned as an intrinsic part of the match day experience – as the UK emerges from its pandemic lockdown with easing to help pubs battling for survival.

The 16 pubs highlighted, which are all waiting to welcome fans when they feel happy to return to the bars in SW6 or LE2, are promoted as beating heart of a team’s fanbase and are all a short stroll from the two teams’ grounds. A bespoke website at https://budweiser.co.uk/supportyourpubs promotes the featured pubs and are all promoted by campaign content linked by the #SupportYourPubs hashtag.

Visiting the site is further incentivised through a list-building shirt contest which gives web visitors a chance to win one of 10 signed Chelsea and 10 signed Leicester shirts by simply entering their details online.

The initiative aims to welcome fans back to pubs and is promoted primarily via digital, social and PR channels, as well as on premises and is fronted by club icons in former Leicester City and England striker Emile Heskey and Chelsea and England midfield maestro Joe Cole.

The campaign is led by an online ‘Kings Of The Cup’ video running across the brand’s social channels featuring Heskey and Cole tackling some classic pub games to find out who got the bragging rights ahead of Saturday’s #EmiratesFACupFinal.

The spot is supported by social promotion through general project promotional pieces and pub-specific posts linked with the campaign hashtags #SupportYourPubs and #EmiratesFACupFinal.

We’re not promoting Budweiser at the @EmiratesFACup final.
Instead, we're donating all our advertising at the match to the favourite pubs of Chelsea and Leicester City fans.

More here https://t.co/rPvDxWbKuq #SupportYourPubs #EmiratesFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/aJABZ1oILZ

— Budweiser UK (@BudweiserUK) May 12, 2021

This @EmiratesFACup final, we’re reminding @LCFC fans to show their support to the Clarendon when they're fully open for future match day pints.

https://t.co/v313Uod20x #SupportYourPubs #EmiratesFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/P84BpFgeDw

— Budweiser UK (@BudweiserUK) May 13, 2021

This @EmiratesFACup final, we’re calling on Leicester City fans to make their return to @TheSoarPoint when they're fully open on May 17th.

https://t.co/4fzwRgyazg @stonegate_group#SupportYourPubs #EmiratesFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/lLgdsVhhjj

— Budweiser UK (@BudweiserUK) May 13, 2021

“It’s great to see our pubs re-opening after what has been a hugely challenging year for them. We wanted to do something impactful, and that’s why you won’t see Budweiser promoted during the Emirates FA Cup Final but the names of some of the pubs that Chelsea FC and Leicester City FC fans know and love,” said Budweiser Senior Brand Manager Amar Singh. “We’re passing our sponsorship space over to these local pubs, to remind football fans that their matchday pubs are ready to welcome them back for that pre or post-match pint.”

Heskey, who scored 40 goals for Leicester between 1994 and 2000, added: “Pubs are so important to the matchday experience. They’re a place to have that camaraderie with your mates before heading to a match, or a spot to watch a game over beers with all the people you love around you. Soon we’ll be finally able to get back inside, too, so it’s important to keep supporting your local pub when they fully reopen.”

While Cole, who made 182 appearances for Chelsea from 2003 to 2010, commented: “I love the pub. In fact, I always thought one day that I might even have my own pub called The Nag’s Head after Only Fools and Horses, that’s how much I love them. Pubs are a such a big part of our culture and a big part of going to the game. They’re an industry we need to keep supporting, and I think it’s great that Budweiser is giving up its sponsorship space to pubs at the FA Cup Final where all the football world’s eyes will be watching.”

Comment:

Indeed, more than 2,500 UK pubs have closed during the last 14 months and thousands more are struggling to stay afloat due to a financial crisis caused by Covid-19 restrictions.