Bud Light, the official beer of the National Football League, kicked off the new season by debuting its ‘Touchdown Glass’ – which connects to a mobile app and lights up whenever a fan’s favourite team scores.
The NFL’s partner beer brand launched the new glasses on 7 September by handing them out to fans at the season opening game between reigning Super Bowl champs New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.
This first batch of glasses came pre-programmed to light up blue whenever the home team Patriots scored.
When the @Patriots kicked off the 2017 NFL season, we lit it up with them. #TouchdownGlass pic.twitter.com/D2O8KAndtW
— Bud Light (@budlight) September 8, 2017
This launch phase was followed by Anheuser-Busch putting 28,300 glasses up for sale on its website BudLight.com/touchdown.
The limited edition number of glasses put up ffor sale is a nod to the Patriots’ 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI.
Fans purchasing the Touchdown Glass ($17.99) simply use the mobile app to link it to their own team after which it will light up all season long whenever their side scores.
When we said we wanted everyone to celebrate touchdowns together, we meant it. https://t.co/ceehtWbTlY
— Bud Light (@budlight) September 6, 2017
The glasses are made by BuzzConnect and the live statistics provided through Stats Llc.
Patriots fans in Boston’s Gillette Stadium for the first game of the new season were also encouraged to participate in a ‘ceremonial toast’ as their Bud Light Touchdown Glasses lit up when the Super Bowl LI banner was unveiled (activated by in-stadium radio frequency).
.@budlight’s #TouchdownGlass will make its debut tomorrow, lighting up during the pregame celebration and after the #Patriots score! pic.twitter.com/hKbNTBNuU3
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 6, 2017
The interactive glasses spearhead Bud Light’s wider NFL sponsorship programme around the new season – which also includes new TV spots and team cans (see case study).
Bud Light’s initial 2017 NFL TV spot, ‘Vendor’, also debuted during the first NFL game of the season between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, September 7.
The ‘Vendor’ spot is the latest creative from the brand’s ongoing ‘Famous Among Friends’ creative concept – one which celebrates the fun times shared while building friendships over sports and beer.
The commercial revolves around the light-hearted and emerging friendship that forms between a football fan and his beer seller from the start of the new season.
Further football-themed TV spots will be unveiled through the season.
“We wanted to test it with a few team partners to understand consumer experience and fan demand. Our hope is we can expand the program going forward for future seasons and incorporate with all our team partners,” explains Bud Light’s NFL marketing director Anna Rogers.
“Friendship and the NFL go hand-in-hand, and ‘Vendor’ brings to life a relatable fan experience with elements of Bud Light’s quintessential humor,” adds Andy Goeler, vice president, Bud Light.
“There are few things that bring friends together more than football, and using our partnership with the NFL helps us to tell Bud Light’s friendship story in a meaningful way through not only our creative, but innovations like the Touchdown Glass. We’re looking forward to another great NFL season.”
Comment:
The objective of the interactive glasses is to leverage the brand’s sponsorship status through the internet-of-things trend in a way that seeks to keep fans engaged with the brand and the experience of watching live games.
Plus, it is also a pretty easy sports drinking game
Bud Light, which has been the official beer of the NFL since 2011, is reported to have spent $1.4bn to extend its sponsorship through to 2022 – so ongoing engagement is vital to maximising the value of this new deal.
This is an obvious internet-of-things next step from the sister brand’s Budweiser’s award winning ‘Red Lights’ NHL hockey initiative which dates back to 2013 (see case study) and, to be honest, we are surprised it has taken them so long to extend the concept to the USA’s biggest sport.
Budweiser isn’t the only NFL sponsor using mobile technology in new ways to activate around the new season.
Brands such as Tostitos and Pepsi are utilising mobile apps and Snapchat in their activation (see case study), while other popular partner leverage tactics for the new season range from augmented reality and original programming on social media, to real-time in-stadium engagement.
Teams themselves are getting in on the act too.
Franchises including the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers have all launched new mobile promotions for fans this season.
This reflects the NFl’s wider evolution of consumption: indeed, this season marks the first time that every NFL game will be available in some form of online media (including Amazon Prime’s new 10-game streaming rights package), as well as the traditional broadcast deals with CBS, NBC, ESPN and the league’s own NFL Network cable channel.
Links:
Bud Light
https://www.youtube.com/user/officialbudlight
https://www.instagram.com/budlight/
https://www.facebook.com/BudLight
NFL
http://www.nflshop.com/source/bm-nflc…
http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball
https://www.nfl.com/gamepass?campaign…
https://www.youtube.com/user/NFL
