In the middle of a global pandemic, Michelob ULTRA Courtside transformed the brand’s NBA sponsorship into the biggest direct response engine in the brand’s history. Fans were encouraged to scan their bottle of Michelob ULTRA for a chance to virtually “sit” Courtside at 124 games, making every integrated channel — from PR to trade, to social, to TVC — direct response.

The result? The most visited URL in the brand’s history. +700% eCommerce ad engagement. +15% sales from in-store trade assets. 25% growth of its CRM database.

And the best response of all: 32% increase in sales (on flat distribution).

“Play games without the fans? Nah, it’s impossible. I ain’t playing.”

— LeBron James, March 6, 2020

COVID-19 sent the sports season — and beer sales — into a tailspin. As quarantine set in, on-premise sales evaporated, fans feared a “lost season” and athletes threatened not to play. While other sports sponsors divested, canceling experiential activations, pulling ads and subduing communications, Michelob ULTRA set out to save its first year as the official beer sponsor of the NBA.

Once favored for its health benefits, light beer sales are declining 3%–4% per year and have been since 2013. Michelob ULTRA particularly struggles with social badge value among young urban consumers, who are quickly adopting trendy hard seltzers. Sales growth is heavily influenced by mental availability (reach, consideration and share of voice), which is driven by brand exposure and cultural relevance.

This made Michelob ULTRA’s mission clear: Matter in culture.

While other leagues scrambled to install cardboard fan cutouts, Michelob ULTRA partnered with Microsoft and the NBA... and Michelob ULTRA Courtside was born.

Powered by the debut of Microsoft’s AI-driven Together Mode and a ring of 17-foot LEDs, this immersive digital experience transported fans into the NBA Bubble, from the comfort and safety of home. The activation boasted millisecond data transfers, a never-before-seen rail cam and 120 spatial audio microphones, which redefined the live watching experience.

To get Courtside, fans scanned their Michelob ULTRA bottles to win virtual tickets to 124 games live-broadcasted from the Orlando-based NBA Bubble. Bold calls-to-action across PR, in-store and digital trade, social, influencer, broadcast integrations, TVC and more led the digital property to become the most visited URL in the brand’s history, digital engagement rates to soar and joy to return to the game.

And Michelob ULTRA proved game-changing innovation… could change the game forever.

Michelob ULTRA had a problem with young, health-minded urban drinkers. Put simply, while the beer’s better-for-you product benefits appealed to this active consumer, the brand didn’t. Gaining consideration and relevance was critical, as the brand significantly under-indexed the light beer category with men 21–49 (-49% average) and women 28–34 (-17% average).

To meet these objectives, Michelob ULTRA became the official beer sponsor of the NBA, which nearly two-thirds of Americans ages 18–44 are avid or casual fans of. But this initiative needed to go beyond linear viewing, to include digital publishers and influencers, where this demographic gets its NBA coverage.

When COVID-19 threw the season and sponsorship into peril, athletes and coaches were worried that, without live fans, the game would feel as empty as the stands themselves. Michelob ULTRA had seen a chance to call consumers to action, delivering joy like they’d never felt before.

Suddenly, empty stands that plagued stadiums became an invaluable direct response opportunity throughout the NBA season (7/30/20–10/11/20). Across every touchpoint, fans were encouraged to scan their Michelob ULTRA bottle to enter for a chance to win a coveted Courtside seat. Meanwhile, Courtside-themed eCommerce activations and in-store signage helped supplant lost on-premise stadium sales. On sites like Drizly, fans could order Michelob ULTRA to be delivered in 60 minutes or less, increasing engagement with eCommerce ads by 700%.

Michelob ULTRA’s fans were integral to the season, as broadcast integrations issued direct response calls-to-action for fans to join in the fun. Nightly, the stands featured first responders, adoptable dogs or unsuspecting fans, rubbing digital elbows with the likes of Lil Wayne, Shaq and even President Obama. News, influencer and social chatter lit up, making Michelob ULTRA the most talked-about brand aside from the NBA, surpassing Nike.

Michelob ULTRA Courtside changed the fate of the brand’s business as it navigated a year rife with disruption due to COVID-19.

The campaign became the cultural phenomenon the brand needed, surpassing all expectations with 13 billion impressions and 81.5 million hours of NBA coverage. The scan-to-win mechanism increased response to eCommerce ads, driving a full share point (+1.0 point) gain, and in-store trade assets, driving +15% sales incrementality on-trade. And over 535,000 unique fans visited the digital Courtside property, making it the most visited URL in the brand’s history and increasing its CRM database by 25%.

The result? Michelob ULTRA sales grew 32% on flat distribution (physical availability), the biggest share-gainer among beers in the industry. It towered over competitor share declines of Miller Lite (-13 points) and Coors Light (-32 points). Mental availability metrics surged, including consideration (+4.3%), reach (+31%) and share of voice (+6%).