By the numbers
50 global markets
5 million units delivered OTIF
2.5 million reusable cups
1.5 billion fans worldwide
The brief
Promoting an icon at the biggest tournament of them all
We were a midfield general as Budweiser’s point-of-sale and distributor for its FIFA World Cup™ partnership. Using insight from the European Football Championship, we were asked to create a hero product for fans across the world which was fun, interactive, and symbolic of this iconic brand.
With the activation happening across markets, we faced fractured COVID-19 supply chains and the need to both produce huge quantities of products and manage a large group of partners and stakeholders.
Client:
Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), Budweiser
Sector:
Beverages
Solutions:
Insight, design, procurement, distribution
Region:
Global
Share:
What we did
Going beyond the extra mile
The most striking product was the hero piece – a fun and engaging aluminum cup which changes color to reveal the full design when cold drink is added. We produced 2.5 million reusable cups in 10 different sizes across 50 markets. Our product team came up with an ingenious manufacturing process so that each unit could be pressed from a single sheet of aluminum in just 45 seconds. This ensured we could hit a super tight timeframe. Our quality control team was on-site with our manufacturing partners throughout, signing off batches which were shipped in sustainable packaging.
We also used smart technology to host immediate communications across time zones and stakeholders, and streamlined manufacturing and distribution processes to accelerate global fulfillment.
Outcome
A champion level of engagement
The reusable cup was a constant feature on social media feeds through the event. Famous brand ambassadors, such as Lionel Messi, were also photographed with it. And using our dynamic auction technology to secure the most competitive price from an approved range of suppliers, we achieved ABI’s desired profit margins on a full range of products with minimal wastage. So impressed were ABI with our work, not least the ability to produce over 100 quality prototypes in quick time, that we were awarded its entire FIFA World Cup™ merchandising contract.
