Michelob Ultra leverages its new rights as the NBA’s Official Beer through a restart activation programme which spans a TV and online ad fronted by Jimmy Butler who joyfully sings to himself while he packs for the Orlando bubble as well as a ongoing virtual viewing experience competition.
Objective:
Michelob Ultra’s marketers briefed agency Wieden+Kennedy New York to leverage the NBA’s restart and drive awareness of its status as the league’s new official beer through a campaign which brings to life its positioning as a brand that stands for ‘active enjoyment’.
Activation:
As professional basketball restarts in the USA, Michelob Ultra celebrated its new status as the ‘Official Beer of the NBA’ with a new campaign spearheaded by a hero commercial which sees Jimmy Butler happily singing along to Hall & Oates’ ‘You Make My Dreams (Come True)’ as he gets ready to travel to the league’s Disney bubble.
The campaign was teased socially on 22 July
We got to hang with @JimmyButler as he packed for the NBA bubble…he was pretty excited. What’s one thing you’d HAVE to pack for life in the bubble? Sorry, we don’t currently offer travel-size ULTRA. pic.twitter.com/nAokAwdaW0
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) July 22, 2020
ahead of the full hero ad’s television debut on 24 July, a week ahead of the league restart.
The spot sees the Miami Heat small forward/shooting guard sing and dance around his closet excitedly packing his bags for Orlando.
Running across TV and online, the commercial was created with agency Wieden+Kennedy New York and is the first of several planned new pieces of creative work for the beer brand around the NBA Restart.
The other core, season-long activation pillar is ‘Michelob Ultra Courtside’ – an NBA virtual fan experience.
Bringing distanced fans closer to the game during the restart in Orlando, Michelob Ultra Courtside is a digital experience that allows fans to appear virtually inside the arena and share in the excitement of the game through an exclusive streaming feed service.
While fans can’t physically attend games due to social distancing protocols, Michelob Ultra Courtside give them special access to games throughout the season. From 30 July fans can visit www.ultracourtside.com and follow Michelob Ultra’s social channels for details on how to win access as well as additional exclusive giveaways and experiences.
Ultra Courtside is promoted socially and led a video narrated by Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen supported by other social and contest pieces.
Wanna be a virtual fan in the #ULTRACourtside during the next @NBA game? Follow us for the chance to win every Tuesday! pic.twitter.com/uYFJiUhOxD
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) July 31, 2020
The @NBA Season is here! Who’s going to the Finals? Possibly you. Reply with #ULTRACourtside and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win 2 virtual courtside seats to the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/VnxKoROaav
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) July 30, 2020
“Combining athleticism with enjoyment is what defines Michelob Ultra, and that’s why we are incredibly honored to partner with the NBA and celebrate this historic return of basketball,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Michelob Ultra.
“Michelob UltraA Courtside is a truly groundbreaking virtual fan experience that will not only bring the energy of the fans to the game, but also bring the athletes closer to the fans.”
“As we prepare for the NBA Restart in Orlando, we are thrilled to expand our longstanding partnership with Anheuser-Busch and welcome Michelob ULTRA as an official partner of the league,” said Ed Winkle, NBA Vice President, Global Partnerships. “Our collaboration in Orlando will offer a unique opportunity to reach and engage NBA fans in an entirely new way.”
“While singing in ULTRA’s new commercial was fun and showed a more joyful side of me, I must admit that I’m excited to bring that same spirit back to my day job,” said Butler.
“I look forward to returning to the court and am elated for the opportunity to virtually reconnect with NBA fans. It is their energy that brings the excitement to the game and makes it all worthwhile.”
Outcome:
Since it was first posted online on 23 July, the spot has notched up 1.8m views on the brand’s own social channels (with 463k on Facebook, 349k on YouTube, plus 196k on Twitter and 787k on Instagram).
Comment:
We are almost as giddy as Jimmy about the return of the NBA (and its marketing) and there is something genuinely joyful about the hero spot for the beer that claims to be the fastest growing beer brand in the USA.
Apparently, the agency initially pitched Butler for the campaign by showing the client a video of the player showing off his singing skills on a plane with his U.S. national team teammates back in 2016
Michelob is seeking to take real-time branded content in a new direction with this new virtual fan experience and while it is a COVID-19 enforced activation, the league and various teams have been developing various virtual game experiences for several years.
But we’d expect variations on this kind of activation to remain a part of sports marketing for years to come.
Links:
Michelob Ultra
https://www.youtube.com/user/ABMichelobULTRA
https://www.instagram.com/michelobultra/
https://twitter.com/MichelobULTRA
https://www.facebook.com/MichelobULTRA
NBA
https://www.youtube.com/user/NBA
https://www.instagram.com/nba/
Wieden+Kennedy New York
https://www.wk.com/about/office/new-york/
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