Two days before the kick-off of the World Cup, Budweiser was banned from selling beer to fans around the stadiums. Pivoting a four-year marketing plan in less than 48-hours, we quickly conceived a real-time campaign that evolved at the speed of the World Cup itself. Left with a warehouse full of beer that could not be sold, we decided to make the most of the tricky situation: we announced we'd give away all the Budweiser to whoever won the World Cup. We started a movement called #BringHomeTheBud.

Budweiser as a brand has always been synonymous with the World Cup - having been an official sponsor since 1986. And beer has always been synonymous with the fan experience and celebrations surrounding the game even longer. Much to our surprise, two days before the Cup kick-off, beer was banned from being sold to fans in- and around the stadiums in Qatar.

With that, Budweiser was left with a warehouse full of beer that could not be sold. And a global marketing and experiential plan, four years in the making, completely turned on its head.

We couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. So we flipped the script and announced that we'd give away all of the would-be World Cup beer to whichever country won the Cup. It wasn't just about re-mobilizing a behemoth plan and global organization. But also about galvanizing fans around a new movement called #BringHomeTheBud

The internet and news media went into a frenzy as the word spread that beer was going to be banned at the World Cup in Qatar. With a simple tweet acknowledging the “awkwardness” of the situation, we made our first move. Shortly after, we followed up to announce that we were giving away all of the World Cup Budweisers to the winning country.

We needed to make sure that beer (and ultimately the Budweiser brand) would not only be at the center of the conversation but also be an integral part of the celebration. Little did we know that one simple tweet would start a global fan movement for free beer called #BringHomeTheBud.

Throughout the tournament we fanned the flames by encouraging the fans to not only cheer for their teams but to will home the biggest victory celebration the world has ever seen.

The World Cup marks the biggest moment for the global Budweiser machine. In 2022, it also served as their biggest campaign ever with a plan to engage in 70+ countries, activate 1.2M points-of-sale, ship 1B limited edition bottles, and bring thousands together through gigantic on-ground activations. All of this spearheaded by a massive new creative platform: “The World is Yours To Take”. A rally cry to recruit and appeal to younger consumers (LDA-34) by championing them to go for it and turn their conviction into action.

With the beer ban in tow, we pivoted to give our consumers something new to rally for - free beer. Our real-time campaign had to evolve with the tournament itself. Switching over media placements, creating on the fly, and dropping crates of beer around the globe. So it became about more than just "free beer", it became a symbol of pride in ultimate achievement.

As the world media got news of the beer ban all eyes turned to Budweiser.

Naturally, our efforts started where the news was exploding - Twitter. So we responded with a simple tweet acknowledging the “awkwardness” of the situation. After media picked up our retort, we doubled down by telling the world that all of the World Cup beer would go to the winning country. Then, we turned ordinary beer shipping containers into billboards dropping them in city squares across 7 countries and 4 continents - a highly shareable and visual demonstration of what was at stake.

When teams won, we delivered even more beer taking over major landmarks with localized messaging. And then in-stadium, we forced our way onto fieldboards that were seen over the Cup's broadcast. After the cup was won, we upheld our promise and took to the streets of Argentina's victory celebration with 1MM+ beers.

Even though our plans changed so quickly, the results were immediately astounding, exceeding all of our objectives while putting Budweiser at the center of the conversation.

Communication Objective: it became a cultural movement, driving brand fame and resonance with young LDA adults:

Media coverage was truly momentous and widespread globally: everyone from ESPN to Sky Sports, The Guardian, and NPR took part in the conversation. SNL did a skit about it. One Argentine fan even got a tattoo of it. And scores of Ecuadorian fans even chanted for it during their Cup match.

225B Impressions, 1MM+ Social Mentions, $400M in Earned Media, #1 Share of Voice making up over 70% of all mentions amongst other sponsors.

Budweiser has been a sponsor of the World Cup since 1986. You’d think most major decisions like the one made in Qatar we’d have advanced warnings or rumblings. But we were taken by complete surprise. On top of that, mobilizing a behemoth brand (and its marketing, trade, and on-premise partners) across 70 different countries in the matter of days is nearly next to impossible.

Furthermore, Budweiser was able to not only make the most of the situation but was also able to stem the negative backlash leading up to the event over perceived price gouging on beer. Noting that it’s the only beer served at WC events.

We also took a bold risk understanding that some of the potential winning countries lawfully couldn't ultimately distribute Budweiser physically or in advertising either. Thankfully the Buds found their home in Argentina. An inherently soccer-obsessed culture that made the win that much sweeter.