Michelob ULTRA is a low-calorie beer that believes in joy as an essential component of an active lifestyle. You should be able to be physically active AND enjoy a beer afterward.

Our brand platform, “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It,” has brought this belief to life in groundbreaking and culturally relevant ways over the last few years, addressing issues such as burnout, fans being shut out of games during COVID lockdowns, and more. Our cultural relevance in the sports world has helped us grow from the #5 domestic beer to #2 in the U.S.

But with billions of marketing dollars spent each year, competition never ends in the beer category.

So, to continue growing our market share, we set out to address another pressing, hot-button issue in sports culture: accessibility. Since most people focus on accessibility of playing, we championed the underdiscussed accessibility of enjoying as a fan.

Cameron Black was born completely blind. But it didn’t stop him from having big dreams — specifically, of being a sports broadcaster.

On April 21, 2023, Michelob ULTRA made his dream a reality. We worked with Cameron over the course of a year to develop a groundbreaking, multisensorial technology that allowed him to fully experience and commentate a game. Through data and A.I., he was able to understand and feel every gameplay moment and every movement. And he got to share his views with millions of sports fans.

Our partnership with Cameron during the NBA Playoffs is only the beginning of a larger commitment to accessibility.

In October 2023, Michelob ULTRA will make this technology available to everyone, with a free app that uses sound, haptics, and spatial audio, specially designed for the visually impaired. Our mission will extend beyond basketball to the worlds of soccer, football, and baseball.

The NBA brings joy to billions. Yet its joy isn’t equally accessible to all. As a brand that famously believes “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It,” Michelob ULTRA needed to plant its flag in the cultural conversation about accessibility in sports.

Problem: 284 million sports fans worldwide struggle to enjoy live games because they’re blind or visually impaired. They can listen to play-by-play commentary, but anyone who loves basketball knows there’s more to the game.

Insight: The joy of being a basketball fan comes from truly feeling the game.

Strategy: Translate the action of a basketball game into a language that blind and visually impaired fans can feel, not just listen to.

We developed groundbreaking technology that immersed blind and visually impaired fans in the joy of a live game. Launching the technology during the Playoffs kick-started our commitment to making the joy of sports accessible to all.

On April 21, 2023, Cameron called a complete NBA Playoff game with high stakes on live TV: Knicks vs. Cavs, Game 3. We set up a multisensorial booth from which he could commentate the game, 60 seconds ahead of broadcast.

This was made possible by a groundbreaking technology: First, using A.I.-powered braille, we put a world’s worth of basketball data at Cameron’s fingertips. Then, we used spatial sound to sonically place Cameron in the center of the court, so he could fully grasp every second of the game: the movement, the plays, and the speed. Finally, we added haptic feedback that allowed him to literally feel the reverberations of each moment.

Using DreamCaster, Cameron made his debut as a broadcaster during the NBA Playoffs in a partnership with the MSG Network. This historic moment aired on prime-time TV during the live game and was streamed online.

DreamCaster launched a few weeks ago, but it already looks set to become Michelob ULTRA’s next cultural juggernaut.

Cameron’s historic broadcast notched the second-highest TV ratings of any program in its market that day, immediately captivating 10.4 million viewers.

And his commentary echoed throughout the most iconic arena in the world: Madison Square Garden. 21,000 fans and passersby outside witnessed sports history being made.

But the impact for Michelob ULTRA goes well beyond a local gameday broadcast activation.

Within days of going live, organic search volume for Michelob ULTRA jumped 55% and social conversation about Michelob ULTRA increased by 44%.

This initial barrage of excitement, both local and national, sets the stage for Michelob ULTRA’s long-term commitment to championing accessibility in sports culture.

We’ve proved (and will continue to prove) that it’s only worth it if we ALL enjoy it.