During the 2022 US Open, all eyes were on Serena Williams. A national icon, the most successful tennis player of all time, and longtime Michelob ULTRA brand partner was about to play her last tournament. Every brand was out to capture this moment in sports, and Michelob ULTRA stole the show.

Michelob ULTRA believes that off-court joy brings on-court success. Yes, success takes hard work too, but what separates the greatest athletes is that they enjoy what they do. Summed up by the brand’s motto: It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.

Nobody embodies this better than longtime Michelob ULTRA partner Serena Williams.

It was an excellent opportunity to honor Serena’s retirement in a unique way to continue the brand’s cultural momentum.

The brand’s distinct positioning has helped it grow from 5th to 2nd in the U.S. beer market. And continued cultural relevance drives sales.

Our budget was $300K. This budget had to cover the production of the packs and all the promotion of the packs. This was a challenge, as we had to cut through at a time when other brands were also looking to recognize Serena’s retirement.

For many years, Michelob ULTRA has counterbalanced the pursuit of perfection in sports by, reminding people that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”

On the eve of the US Open, when Serena announced her retirement, Michelob ULTRA released a 24-pack to celebrate every Grand Slam that Serena won over the course of her career. The special pack consisted of 24 limited-edition cans, each depicting a moment of joy from her 23 wins, and one can representing the joy she’ll now enjoy off court.

The cans were made within ABI and announced via a single social post on Michelob ULTRA’s handles. The 24-pack was also distributed to members of the press and influencers.

Michelob ULTRA looks to recruit people who live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, who are both physically and socially active. Those who recognize that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it.”

Michelob ULTRA has had great success in recent years, growing to be the 2nd biggest beer in the country. But 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.

Serena Williams is a longtime brand partner who is one of the biggest names on the partner roster. We wanted to honor her retirement with a brand stunt that is worthy of her career and ties the brand in naturally. We knew that every brand would create a montage video of her; we needed to go a step beyond.

Our creative solution paid tribute to Serena’s career. 23 of the cans showcased a moment of joy from her 23 Grand Slam wins, with the 24th can showing her post-tennis-career joy.

The second challenge was creating a unique unboxing experience that could carry the weight of the contents efficiently. The materials were carefully chosen to ensure durability and avoid scuffing.

We released the limited-edition cans on social media the day Serena officially retired, September 2, 2022. The cans were made within ABI and announced via a single social post on Michelob ULTRA’s handles. The 24-pack was also distributed to members of the press and influencers. 



Keeping up with a truly live moment in sports history, it was posted online for a week in total. The post was amplified on both Twitter and Instagram.

The reaction was beyond what we could have ever expected.

In the end, the Serena pack was an earned media success and one of ULTRA’s most-shared social posts of 2022. Since the pack was not for sale, there is no sales data to report. Top results include:​

Media coverage:

· Pop culture took notice of our extra-joyous ULTRA can and, in just one weekend, we earned 427 million impressions and 188 press stories from publications such as CNN, USA Today, People Magazine, Hypebeast, and Thrillist, and global news outlets such as The Sun (UK) and India Times (India)

· 22K social mentions in 24 hours upon the pack’s launch​

· 52.3 M earned impressions​

Brand health:

- Significant increases in both brand affinity (+108%) and purchase intent (+31%) in 2022​

Business results:

- Consistent volume growth in every region during the time this campaign was in-market

Serena Williams is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. Serena is an ambassador for Michelob ULTRA and after she announced her retirement in 2022, ULTRA jumped into action. The pack highlighted the 23 majors in her career and a 24th to the joy she's had off the court. We intentionally selected photography that showed both joy and intensity to display balance.