To challenge the widely accepted primacy of success in sport being defined as ‘win at all costs’, Michelob Ultra’s ‘It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It’ campaign asks consumers to re-examine their definition of success through iconic sporting photographs which crop out the winning athletes to focus on the joy.
The ABInBev beer brand teamed up with agency Gut for a marketing initiative that aims to challenge a mindset that so often leads to high-stress lifestyles. Pressure to succeed and to win is instilled throughout our lives and that is particularly true for athletes. Winning is typical seen as the most vital element of being a professional player and yet so many talented athletes burnout early due to unrealistic expectations.
So this campaign uses partial images to tell a wider story about the love of the sport and to pitch ‘joy as the pinnacle of success’.
The campaign rolled out through Spring 2022 across print, OOH and social platforms amplified on the brand’s own channels and by the athletes themselves who share the work across their own social media along.
The creative itself is based around a series of cropped photographs showing the trophies of world-famous athletes – including Anthony Davis, Brooks Koepka, Alex Morgan, Nneka Ogwumike and Serena Williams – during some of their most famous sporting moments. But the pictures have been edited so that the stars don’t feature front-and-centre, but rather they capture moments of pure joy in the reflections of their trophies.
To help drive home the message, the series also ask its athlete ambassadors to share their backstories behind the wins: from Williams’ first championship win after the birth of her daughter to Anthony Davis’ emotional rollercoaster of a year that led to an NBA Championship win in the middle of the pandemic.
“The issue the brand is tackling with this campaign goes so far beyond the world of sports,” explained agency Gut’s North America ECD Ricardo Casal. “So when you have five of the world’s most elite athletes reminding you that the pinnacle of success is not a piece of metal but instead a genuinely happy smile, it goes a long way toward helping us all truly enjoy doing the things we love.”
“The happiness on these athletes’ faces is something that is impossible to ignore,” added Michelob Ultra VP Of Marketing Ricardo Marques. “But when you see it in the reflection of the trophy that they pushed so hard to be able to hold and hear the story of the joy they felt along the way, it becomes much more meaningful. Joy truly has always been the ultimate trophy.”
The campaign was briefed in by and created for a Michelob Ultra and ABInBev marketing team which included Vice President of Marketing Ricardo Marques, Senior Marketing Director Talita Andrade, Director of Digital Marketing Miles Ritenour, Head of Regional Media Andrew Gelbard, Media Manager Bridget Inglima, Media Lead Lindsay Marzocca, Director of Digital Marketing Alexis Unwalla, PR Lead Jessica Thorpe and Director of Sports Marketing and Partnerships Dylan Ruby.
It was conceived and created by a team at agency GUT which was led by Creative Chairman/Co-Founder Anselmo Ramos, GUT Miami Managing Director/ Global Chief Client Officer/ Partner Carmen Rodriguez, North America Executive Creative Director/ Global Partner Juan Javier Peña Plaza, North America Executive Creative Director/ Global Partner Ricardo Casal, Global Chief Strategy Officer/ Partner Fernando Ribeiro, Heads of Production Renata Neumann and Kristin Childers, Head of Accounts Joselyn Bickford, Head of Art Guido Fusetti, Associate Creative Director Jeff Schermer, Associate Creative Director Jose Ramirez, Art Director Aurélie Diaz, Junior Copywriter Jared Blinderman, Creative Consultant Buchun Jiang, Account Director Akoma M’ba, Management Supervisor Manuela Castro, Account Executive Laila Houser, Strategy Director Bruno Steffen, Creative Manager Junia Parodi, Creative Manager Christina Moses Cornejo, Senior Social Project Manager Kristy Garcia, Project Manager Vanessa Rodriguez, Senior Producer Ale Marie Odriozola, Production Intern Emma Giorelli and Director of Communications Alexandra Velasco.
The team at Platinum FMDincluded Leonardo Vilela, Flavio Albino, Leonardo Escobar and Diego Oliveira, while the group working on the project at 6 Degrees included Research Specialist Karen Snow, Project Manager Christine Ginsberg and Co-Founder George Bartko.
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