IPG’s Momentum experiential shop has quietly triumphed in an agency “beauty contest” to win a FIFA World Cup activation assignment for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Michelob Ultra brand.
Mich Ultra, the low calorie/low carb beer made “for active and balanced lifestyles,” is A-B’s star brand and is expanding its presence across sports, so this strikes me as especially consequential. The assignment includes venue work and activation against the FIFA Club World Cup that starts this summer. The work around the World Cup and Club World Cup, particularly with games in the U.S., was apparently significant enough that the IPG agency resigned its Constellation/Modelo work in favor of the larger A-B opportunity.
FCB, N.Y., is Mich Ultra’s above-the-line agency.
Mich Ultra’s soccer marketing assets also include deals with U.S. Soccer, Lionel Messi, Christian Pulisic and CONMEBOL’s Copa America tournament.
On-premise results is often an early indicator, and on that battleground, Mich Ultra surpassed Bud Light as the country’s top-selling draft beer late last year. A host of industry experts — and even A-B itself — are projecting Mich Ultra will be the top-selling domestic beer within five years.
That growth mirrors the rising trend of low-carb and non-alcoholic beers. Of course, there’s a brand extension there with Michelob Ultra Zero.
While Bud Light remains A-B InBev’s lead brand for NFL activation, Mich Ultra is now the brand affiliated not only with FIFA and the World Cup but with the brewer’s longtime NBA sponsorship, its deal with the PBR and others.
It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to predict that Mich Ultra will be lead brand on the NFL before long. The brand has a Super Bowl spot coming for the fourth consecutive year (rival Coors Light is also on the roster of Big Game advertisers). Combine the recent growth of Mich Ultra with the upward trajectory of both soccer and Hispanic sports and you can see this assignment’s importance.
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