Michelob ULTRA Courtside was a first-of-its-kind virtual experience that completely redefined live sports viewing as we know it. Made possible through years of Microsoft’s lab research on AI segmentation, and the NBA’s imaginative response to COVID-19 and Michelob ULTRA’s ability to engage fans in the joy of the game, regardless of where they were, this 360° customer engagement was truly groundbreaking.

Unlike anything the sports industry or live broadcasting had seen before, the impossible was made possible through immense dedication to digital craft and innovation, in mere weeks, during a global pandemic. And game-changing experience design… changed the game forever.

“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, the immersive experience transported fans into the NBA Bubble, from the 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.

Suddenly, empty stands that plagued stadiums became an invaluable brand asset. Real-time player, fan and broadcaster interaction made Michelob ULTRA a pivotal part of the season’s storyline. 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. And across 124 games and 81.5 million hours of NBA coverage, Michelob ULTRA proved its motto, “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It.”

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 reach this audience, 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 it would be a full embrace of the brand’s purpose, showing that joy creates success, that would ultimately unlock meaningful consideration lifts.

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 a chance to bring joy back to the game, and its consumers’ lives, along the way.

To get Courtside, fans scanned their Michelob ULTRA bottles to win virtual tickets to 124 games live-broadcasted from the Orlando-based NBA Bubble (7/30/20–10/11/20). Calls-to-action across PR, in-store and digital trade, social, influencer, broadcast integrations, TVC and more led to the most visited URL in the brand’s history, with 535,000 unique fans visiting and adding 25% to its CRM database.

An interactive, immersive experience for fans and players alike, innovations developed in mere weeks included:

- Immersive AI Segmentation: Uses scientific principles of cognition and social perception to allow natural eye contact and register fellow participants’ emotions as they react.

- Millisecond Data Transfers: Split-second feeds of video and audio came from fans’ homes to the Orlando NBA Bubble, to the Secaucus NBA Production Center, back to fans.

- Spatial Audio & Video Design: 120 spatial audio contact microphones and a never-before-seen rail cam made reactions and interactions real-time.

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. That level of exposure and relevance drove a substantial lift in all major mental availability metrics, including consideration (+4.3%), reach (+31%) and share of voice (+6%).

The result? Michelob ULTRA sales grew 32%, due to soaring cultural relevance, on-bottle, scan-to-win ticket promotions and unprecedented brand exposure. In a year when distribution (physical availability) remained flat, the brand was the industry’s biggest share-gainer. Michelob ULTRA gained +69 points of market share, towering over declines of Miller Lite (-13 points) and Coors Light (-32 points).

Today, Microsoft is applying insights from Courtside to workplaces, classrooms and entertainment venues to make them more fun, engaging and memorable.