- Anheuser-Busch announced a multiyear partnership with the Washington Commanders, making the beverage giant the official beer sponsor of the DC-area NFL team, based on a press release.
- The partnership includes game day activations, custom content for each social media and digital channels, fan experiences and more. Anheuser-Busch will moreover give special recognition and exclusive experiences to veterans and first responders.
- To kick off the partnership, Anheuser-Busch is debuting an annual Commanders Season Kickoff Party, which features giveaways, entertainment and appearances from players. The first party will happen Sept. 8 because the NFL season gets underway.
Anheuser-Busch is expanding its NFL presence through a multiyear agreement with the Washington Commanders. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Bud Light is front and center within the sponsorship, which arrives ahead of the beginning of the 2023-24 season and because the beer marketer seeks to revitalize the image of one of its core brands following marketing stumbles earlier this 12 months which have eaten into sales. Bud Light now serves because the official beer of 27 NFL teams and 24 players.
The latest Commanders tie-up includes a spread of activations meant to have interaction fans with Anheuser-Busch products. Gameday integrations equivalent to The Bud Light Backyard and the Bud Light End Zone be sure that the sunshine beer’s presence is felt by attendees in-stadium at FedEx Field. Digital integrations, including a Countdown to the Season series celebrating the return of the NFL, connect the brand to the team’s wider audience. Bud Light will even act as presenting sponsor for post-game victory speeches and promote an Easy to Celebrate series spotlighting celebrations from Commanders players.
“We are excited to have the Commanders back on our NFL roster. This partnership continues to further our commitment to football and its local fanbases across the country,” said Matt Davis, vp of partnerships at Anheuser-Busch, in a press statement. “Our history with the Washington franchise runs deep, and these fans are some of probably the most loyal and passionate fans within the nation.”
Anheuser-Busch, which carries a bigger partnership with the NFL, previously ended its contract with the Commanders in March 2022. The two reuniting follows the sale of the NFL team by longtime owner Dan Snyder and his family in May. Snyder’s tenure was marked by controversy and closed unceremoniously amid a series of scandals, including investigations right into a toxic work culture allegedly perpetrated by Snyder, as reported within the Associated Press.
Reinforcing a commitment to the Commanders under recent management comes as AB InBev looks to maneuver Bud Light past its own struggles. The brand has been in a slump because the spring after work with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney made it the goal of culture wars backlash and mass boycotts. The ensuing fallout led Bud Light to lose its spot because the top-selling beer within the U.S. to Modelo. Michel Doukeris, CEO of Anheuser-Busch parent AB InBev, said the brand would shift Bud Light’s focus to the NFL and other popular causes, equivalent to Folds of Honor.
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