“You cannot be serious.”

- John McEnroe, 1981

Albeit unintentionally, McEnroe was onto something. Sports are too serious. A win-at-all-costs mentality is causing many athletes to buckle under the pressure. For over 7 years, Michelob ULTRA has counterbalanced the world of performance, reminding people that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.” Brand acts like Courtside have put joy firmly in the spotlight.

Michelob ULTRA’s distinct positioning around joy has helped the brand grow from the 5th to the 2nd biggest beer in the country. This despite struggles for the wider light-beer category, which have seen it decline 3%–4% per year since 2013.

But despite recent success, category competition is relentless. Sales are driven heavily by cultural relevance.

So Michelob ULTRA would need to further cultural relevance by doubling down on its distinct positioning. Grabbing people’s attention and reminding them that joy is not just an afterthought.

Michelob ULTRA’s McEnroe vs. McEnroe rewrote the rules for entertainment.

With a belief that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it,” the brand developed boundary-breaking innovation to enable John McEnroe to face off against his legacy and embrace the joy he denied himself as a player.

Fans witnessed history — live, before their eyes — in person and on TV, as McEnroe played a match unlike anything ever seen before.

Revolutionary technology created avatar versions of McEnroe from five pivotal career moments. A specially designed court with a particle-mist screen brought the avatars face-to-face with John and the fans. Every move from avatar McEnroe was synchronized with an intricate robotic-return system, allowing Real McEnroe to play Virtual McEnroe. For real.

John couldn’t believe his eyes. Neither could the fans.

We revolutionized the sports experience. Immersing fans and serving up joy like it’s never been seen before.

Michelob ULTRA appeals to drinkers who enjoy an active lifestyle and like to balance that with a better-for-you beverage.

To continue the brand’s growth, we needed to further our cultural relevance with this audience. Michelob ULTRA needed to double down on its distinctive positioning: “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.” We needed to keep going beyond the expected.

Enter John McEnroe — the perfect partner for the brand’s commitment to joy. In a never-before-seen sporting event, Michelob ULTRA would remind us all to enjoy the journey.

To witness the event, fans responded to a CRM callout. Then, a VIP premiere was held with press and influencers in attendance. And finally, McEnroe vs. McEnroe was launched to the world. Calls-to-action across PR, digital trade, social, and influencer encouraged people to tune in for the ESPN broadcast.

Michelob ULTRA created the world’s first real vs. virtual tennis match. A never-before-seen technological feat that enabled John McEnroe to play a real match against his toughest opponent: himself.

Artificial Intelligence, Unreal MetaHuman technology, and machine learning created fully A.I. versions of McEnroe from five pivotal career moments. Carefully orchestrated robotic arms simulated young McEnroe’s ball strokes, allowing real McEnroe to play a match against himself, with the avatars moving around the court and returning the ball.

To witness the event, fans responded to a CRM callout. Next, a VIP premiere was held with press and influencers in attendance. And then McEnroe vs. McEnroe was launched to the world. Calls- to-action across PR, digital trade, social, influencer, broadcast integrations, and TVC encouraged consumers to watch the live broadcast on ESPN linear and streaming.

Joy took center stage as McEnroe vs. McEnroe reminded us all to enjoy the journey.

Michelob ULTRA’s McEnroe vs. McEnroe proved to be the next entertainment juggernaut that the brand needed.

It’s been talked about in 52 countries, sales grew +15% due to in-match promotions, and ESPN liked it so much that they gave us one hour of free media — the earned value of which was calculated at $20 million.

McEnroe vs. McEnroe amassed over 3 billion earned impressions, 10x the original target. With over 120 media placements covering the campaign, the sentiment is best summed up by

Yahoo! — “Reinventing Sports Entertainment.”

Importantly, the idea worked with two key audiences: sports fans and rival beer drinkers. Between April and July 2022, Michelob ULTRA saw an 8% positive brand impression lift and a 28% purchase intent lift with ESPN viewers 21+.

And the campaign’s impact extends beyond Michelob ULTRA. McEnroe vs. McEnroe is paving the way for revolutionary approaches in gaming, entertainment, and education.