Challenge:

In the competitive landscape of sports events, beer brands vie for attention, and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was no exception. As an Official Partner, Budweiser sought to leverage this opportunity to boost sales amid sluggish category growth and fierce competition. With the Lionesses' recent success drawing attention, Budweiser aimed to capture a significant share of demand. The challenge was converting brand recognition and affinity into short-term sales, particularly in areas where Budweiser lagged behind competitors. 

Insight:

Traditional advertising approaches target football fans during games, but research showed this wasn't effective for driving immediate sales. A study revealed that while football content consumption was high during matches, it didn’t align with when fans planned their shopping. This insight highlighted that advertising during games had limited impact on sales, prompting a shift in strategy. 

Solution:

We adopted a bold strategy by shifting focus from football fans to actual lager shoppers during the Women’s World Cup. Testing on the Meta platform compared buyer audiences to football fans, aiming to prove the concept. IRI ProScores identified geographic areas with rising category demand but lagging Budweiser sales, allowing targeted advertising. Partnering with Dunnhumby, Budweiser used Clubcard sales data for measurement, linking data sets to track incremental sales. 

Results:

The results were compelling. Buyer audiences drove a significant increase in incremental sales compared to football interest audiences. Despite a general decline in lager category sales, Budweiser saw impressive sales uplift from targeted buyer audiences, particularly among older adults and families. This approach outperformed traditional football fan targeting in every sales metric, turning brand activations into real revenue drivers. The campaign underscored the importance of letting consumer insights guide strategy rather than following obvious audience trends.