2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenges and Goals
Michelob Ultra saw a growing cultural trend toward healthy living – that was undermining the larger beer category – and recognized it as an opportunity to use it as a strength. In a culture increasingly focused on living well, beer – perceived as heavy and bloating – is taking a hit. The year 2018 saw the first decline in imported beer sales in Canada, down 3.4%. Michelob’s goal was to buck the trend in 2019 and grow sales of Michelob Ultra in a declining category.

Strategy and Insights
In a category more associated with watching sports from the couch than actual participation, beer isn’t first to mind when thinking about a healthy lifestyle.
Luckily, Michelob Ultra isn’t like other beers. With 90 calories per bottle, the brand was uniquely positioned to leverage the health and wellness trend – a barrier for most beers – and transform it from a threat into a strength.
Digging into fitness trends in Canada, Michelob found a niche that fit perfectly with its brand: running. It’s an active community of people who integrate their social lives with their fitness activities. But the brand also knew traditional advertising would seem inauthentic to a community already moving away from beer, so it did something other beer brands wouldn’t: developed an integrated campaign strategy that placed the Michelob Ultra brand at the centre of running culture. Through experiential events and one-of-a-kind social media hijacking, Michelob created a whole new category of beer: the fitness beer.

Execution
Michelob partnered with one of the country’s most respected running outlets, The Running Room, tapping into its network of more than 100 stores and its community of 100,000 runners. Together, the brands launched the ULTRA Night Run, an epic running experience in six Canadian cities where participants ran on a branded track with on-course DJs and light installations. At the finish line, participants were treated to a medal that doubled as a bottle opener, Instagram-worthy photoshoot opportunities, and a Michelob Ultra beer garden to cap off the night.

To help build awareness and drive registration, Michelob targeted runners on social, providing them with tips, playlists and opportunities to access branded giveaways, like Michelob Ultra Bluetooth headphones.

Then, it hijacked #GlobalRunningDay – the internet’s biggest day in running – and showed runners that Michelob Ultra was bringing them a new way to celebrate: #GlobalRunningNight. Any time a person or brand used #GlobalRunningDay, Michelob responded with an invite to celebrate #GlobalRunningNight. Taking over Running Room stores and even hijacking running groups in the street, the brand installed ‘beer lockers’ – part beer fridge, part gym locker – at the exact locations their weekly runs end, unlocking the fridges for a sampling event.

Results
Altogether, the ULTRA Night Run and #GlobalRunningNight earned 16 million impressions and helped Michelob increase market share by 95%. Crucially, in a declining category, the brand pushed volume growth to 60%, and helped move Michelob from the 44th to the number-one fastest growing beer in the country.
Most importantly, a cultural trend that could have been a huge barrier to a beer brand became its strength – showing runners that Michelob Ultra is the only beer that fits into their lifestyle.

Credits

Chief Creative Officers: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Jeff Hilts | Group Creative Director: Andrew
MacPhee | Senior Art Director: Naeem Walji | Senior Writers: Jason Soy, Brahm Finkelstein |
VP, Managing Director: Tracy Little | Account Director: Alex Pente | Account Supervisor:
Samantha Sabatini | Account Executive: Chris Flynn | Broadcast Producer: Katherine Forester |
Print Producer: Bruce Ellis | Project Manager: Adrian Bailon, Cori Petit | Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown | Senior Planner: Shelagh Hartford | Production : Radar | Executive Producer: Stef Fabich | Line Producer: Katherine Forester | Director: Scott Drucker |
DOP: Scott Drucker & Jonathan Garofalo | Editing House: Radar | Editor: Jonathan Garofalo &
Matthew Johnson | Transfer Facility: Alter Ego | Colourist: Patrick Samaniego | Online Facility:
Radar | Music House: Apollo | After Effects: Jonathan Garofalo & Matthew Media Agency: Vizeum | Associate Director: Nykolai Hrytsyk | Account Director: Steve White I Manager: Chris Pallotta I Manager, Communications Planning: Sam Monteiro Social Agency: Social Code I Team Lead: Sam Fleischman I Senior Account Manager: Morgan Gronbeck PR Company: Veritas | VP Growth & Innovations: Camille Kennedy I Sr Account Manager: Leanna Rizzi | Sr Consultant: Madeleine Barker I Consultant: Jessica Walcot Activation Marketing: Mosaic | Sr Account Manager: Rob Walsh I Account Manager: Jordan Johnson / Account Director: Carly Syme /Trade Agency: Mosaic Shopper I Director, Client Services: Mandi Courteau I Account Manager: Aaron Carly / D-Labs Aerial Photo + Video | Drone Operators: Danny Karaiskakis, Shale Rosen | Lead Visual
Observer: Andrew Yablonski | Visual Observers: Chris Spagnola, Jordan McPhail