AB InBev’s volume sales declined by 15.3% in North America in the final quarter of the year, this was primarily driven by Bud Light, over six months on from a boycott of the brand.
American beer brand Michelob was the winner at last night’s Super Bowl, according to System1, with its sunny beach ad starring the world’s most famous footballer.
As category leader, AB InBev believes it has a responsibility to grow beer as a whole, and is using a major partnership between the Olympics and non-alcoholic product Corona Cero to do this.
AB InBev becomes the first beer business to achieve top-level sponsorship of the Olympics, in a partnership that will be led by the non-alcoholic Corona Cero brand.
The ad has the potential to kick-start sales for the AB InBev-owned beer brand following the backlash it received after partnering with transgender model Dylan Mulvaney.
AB InBev outperformed analysts’ expectations but was weighed down by a 14.1% decline in volume sales in the US, with its CEO saying consumers want “beer without the debate”.
Bud Light’s brand health plummeted following the controversy surrounding its partnership with a transgender influencer, with consumers across the board now looking at the brand unfavourably.
AB InBev is also stepping up investment behind Bud Light in the US and is tripling its media spend this summer versus last.
CEO Michel Doukeris said the alcoholic drinks giant had stepped up the effectiveness of its creativity through its digital transformation and its in-house creative agency DraftLine.
Budweiser is one of the key brands sponsoring the World Cup, but a last minute decision to ban alcohol in Qatar’s stadiums may leave it questioning the future of the partnership.
An understanding of sales is essential for marketers to help grow a business, argues Corona vice-president Felipe Ambra, as well as working with the right people and knowing how to get to great ideas.
Corona has opened an island off the coast of Colombia, designed to embody its brand purpose and promote escapism and sustainability.
AB InBev’s in-house agency lead argues companies need to democratise creativity across all teams, not just marketing, in order to achieve business success.
The founder of AB InBev’s in-house agency draftLine believes the media industry will continue to make a “directional shift” towards attention as a primary trading metric.
The drinks giant is aligning marketing, B2B and direct-to-consumer under the leadership of its newly-created chief growth officer.