Michelob ULTRA combined data and groundbreaking technology to create a portal into another dimension - where John McEnroe played real-life tennis against his virtual-selves.

These versions of John were brought to life via motion capture of John and animated to look just like him with Unreal MetaHuman technology. Artists re-aged him into different eras using historical data, footage and images. After analyzing every match from John’s career, each avatar was programmed with adaptive Artificial Intelligence to think and play just like John.

This first-of-its-kind portal can reimagine ways in which we play, learn, and interact. It’s innovation with world-changing potential.

Situation:

For many years, Michelob ULTRA has counterbalanced the world of performance, reminding people that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”

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 success, competition is relentless. Sales are heavily driven by cultural relevance, and Michelob ULTRA needed a powerful to way to do just that.

Brief:

Athletes are crumbling under the increasing pressure to win at all costs and forgetting to enjoy themselves - a perfect opportunity for Michelob ULTRA.

Objectives:

Michelob ULTRA would double down on its distinct positioning, reminding people that joy is not an afterthought, using never-before-seen technology to place the brand at the heart of an important cultural conversation.

To challenge the win-at-all-costs mentality in modern sports, Michelob ULTRA partnered with John McEnroe. Not the first person who comes to mind when you think of joy in sports. He was his own toughest critic, one of the most volatile personalities in sports history.

But later in life, John found joy. He finally realized “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”

So Michelob ULTRA challenged this living legend to face off against his own legacy and embrace the joy he denied himself as a player.

Michelob ULTRA developed cutting-edge technology to allow John McEnroe to revisit his career, by playing a real match against his toughest opponent: himself.

Tennis met science fiction as Michelob ULTRA created a press and buzz machine: the world’s first human vs. digital tennis match, a must-see event, broadcast to the world on ESPN.

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.

We created the world’s first tennis match to feature a human vs. a virtual player. John McEnroe played virtual versions of himself from the past.

We body-scanned John to create a high-resolution 3D mesh and texture dataset, which formed the foundation of his avatar. Then, we motion-captured him playing tennis, comprising hundreds of individual elements; this enabled us to authentically translate his specific body gestures to an avatar that could be controlled without pre-programmed moves. We re-aged the body scan and motion-capture data over different eras from 1979 to 1992 to mirror his appearance and play over time.

We developed the avatar game system in Unreal Engine so John’s avatar could respond in real time to his physical gameplay. When John sent the ball over the net, the avatar returned shots to him via a robotic ball launcher.

A complicated production for a simply brilliant idea.

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.

Cultural References:

John McEnroe is not the first player who comes to mind when you think of joy in sports. He was a brilliant tennis player, #1 in the world, and a Grand Slam Champion. But he was also one of the most volatile athletes in sporting history, well known for his angry on-court outbursts. But later in life, John found joy — in playing, coaching, and commentary. He finally realized “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”

Viewing Context:

A select group of fans were able to witness McEnroe vs. McEnroe, live in person, at a specially built tennis event space.

Following the filming of the outdoor event, McEnroe vs. McEnroe was first broadcast on ESPN, a partner synonymous with creating sports culture, and then made available for the following month on ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+.