Budweiser readies global World Cup push
Budweiser is looking to leverage its sponsorship of the World Cup with a global multimedia campaign featuring a football-themed online reality show and its “largest” ever on-pack promotion in the UK.
The Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB Inbev) owned brand will launch the global activity using the “Budweiser United” platform in support of its official beer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup status.
In the UK, 10 million “Predict and Win” promotional packs, which carry codes that customers can enter online to redeem credits, will be promoted by a television, outdoor, press and digital campaign.
Global activity will include the “Bud House”, an online reality show featuring one fan from each of the 32 qualifying countries living in a house in Cape Town. Contestants will be eliminated when their team is knocked out.
James Watson, marketing director for Budweiser in Western Europe, says the World Cup presents a “unique opportunity to engage new and seasoned fans as consumers around the world”.
Other activity includes the Global Beer Champions 6v6 – an international amateur football championship that sees teams competing in local grassroots tournaments – and the Budweiser “Man of the Match” title, awarded to the player deemed the best performer in each World Cup game.
UK activity will be created by DDB London after AB Inbev awarded global advertising duties for the brand to the DDB network last year.
AB Inbev recently reported that Budweiser posted double digit growth in the UK last year despite the continued decline in UK beer sales.
