AB Inbev credits World Cup and Wimbledon campaigns for sales gains
AB InBev says the exposure sponsorship of the World Cup and Wimbledon gave flagship brands Budweiser and Stella Artois in the UK helped increase sales across its portfolio by 13.5 per cent in its latest quarter.
The brewer’s Budweiser brand was the official beer of the World Cup and the association was promoted heavily using the “rise as one” platform in the run-up to and during the tournament, while Stella’s premium credentials were highlighted in the “perfect serve” campaign that backed its sponsorship of Wimbledon.
Inge Plochaet, president of AB InBev UK, says themed promotions, and on and off trade activation led to market share and sales boosts for both in the UK, in the three months to 30 June and in the first-half of the year.
She adds: “We are delighted with the performance of AB InBev UK’s beer and cider brands. Own products grew by 13.5 per cent in the quarter and by 8.1 per cent in the first half of 2014 due to strong World Cup volumes and estimated market share gains driven by Budweiser and Stella Artois, with growth in both the off trade and on trade channel.”
The World Cup tie helped AB InBev increase revenue by 5 per cent to $12.2bn globally in the quarter, outstripping volume growth as sales were pushed towards higher-margin premium brands.
In a statement the brewer says the World Cup provided “an exciting opportunity to build brand equity, not just in Brazil, but in many of our markets around the world.”
Sales and marketing spend increased 9.9 per cent globally in the quarter and 13 per cent in the first-half.
The company expects full-year marketing and sales spend to increase by a “low to mid-teens percentage” because of the World Cup and “the scaling up of proven trade marketing programs”.
