2021 Winner
SilverBest in Branded Content
Michelob Ultra
"Cal for Cal "
FCB
"Cal for Cal "
FCB
Picture a beer drinker. Now picture an athlete. We bet you just pictured two entirely different people, and body types. That perception is exactly what Michelob Ultra is up against and trying to change as it aims to show fitness-minded adults that this beer isn’t like the others. This beer doesn’t want you to just sit on the couch. This beer’s entire purpose is to motivate you to get out there and get moving.
To change those perceptions, they had to create an emotional connection with their target and prove to them that Michelob Ultra can be a part of a healthy, active lifestyle. The agency set out to develop a campaign that would increase Brand Meaning scores and Engagement Rates, proving to the target that Michelob Ultra is the beer for them.
Introducing Cal For Cal: A first-of-its-kind initiative that took the calories their target was burning in their workouts and transformed them into calories of food for those in need. All anyone had to do was post their own workout results to social media using their hashtag, and Michelob Ultra would donate the same numbers worth of calories to Food Banks of Canada.
First, they launched an awareness campaign on social media, via influencers and with their partners at The Running Room to spread the word and explain how the program worked. On social media, short, eye-catching videos that depicted different workout equipment being turned into food items (such as barbells into cans of tuna) visually demonstrated the good that could come from taking part in the program. Plus, the videos showed exactly how much their workouts were “worth.” If you did 36 bench presses, you’d be donating one can of tuna.
To get the most donations, they wanted to make sure participation was as easy as possible and that they were able to include everyone. Anyone who had a calorie-tracking workout app just had to screenshot their results and post it to social media using their hashtag. No app? No problem. Audiences could also submit by telling Michelob Ultra what their workout consisted of, and, using an average calculation, the calories burned could be estimated.
Then, when COVID hit, the need for food banks skyrocketed. Plus, gyms had closed, meaning the target was desperate to get in a workout at home. So, they launched Instagram and Facebook Live workouts hosted by fitness influencers. All the target had to do was show up and start sweating, and they’d automatically donate the equivalent calories burned. And, to make sure it was still keeping things fun, after the 30- minute workout, the livestreams turned into 30-minute socials for a post-workout happy hour. After the workout sessions, they posted the videos to the MU Canada YouTube channel and boosted them with paid media, so that people who couldn’t tune in could still watch the
content on demand.
The world of branded content has gotten far more competitive, so Michelob Ultra, who has always had to rely on niche targeting and more efficient productions than mass television allows, was acutely aware of the need to stand out from the crowd. By creating the Cal For Cal program, they developed a system for content creation that combined user participation, influencer content, branded workout videos, and live events all into one highly engaging, cohesive campaign idea. Tying their cause directly to a calorie message incorporated the product RTBs in a meaningful way that wouldn’t have been achievable with traditional advertising and had not been done before in this category.
The program was such a success that MU expanded it across the U.S. and Mexico, proving to healthy, active consumers across the continent what the MU brand stands for and getting them engaged with their brand in an extremely meaningful way, all while helping those who really needed it.
The program successfully solidified the brand’s presence in a healthier, fitness-oriented lifestyle, and proved to their target that they didn’t have to cut out beer to live well.
As a result, their campaign delivered over 671 million impressions, reached 42% of their qualified audience, exceeded the ABI YouTube View Rate benchmark by 88%, with 97% positive online sentiment, increased MU brand awareness by 3%, trial by 4%, market share by +0.7pts, and Brand Meaning scores by 8pts, from 81 to 89, and helped Michelob Ultra become the fastest-growing beer in the country. Far more importantly, their target’s engagement results in over 770 million calories burned – or 385,000 meals for those in need.
To change those perceptions, they had to create an emotional connection with their target and prove to them that Michelob Ultra can be a part of a healthy, active lifestyle. The agency set out to develop a campaign that would increase Brand Meaning scores and Engagement Rates, proving to the target that Michelob Ultra is the beer for them.
Introducing Cal For Cal: A first-of-its-kind initiative that took the calories their target was burning in their workouts and transformed them into calories of food for those in need. All anyone had to do was post their own workout results to social media using their hashtag, and Michelob Ultra would donate the same numbers worth of calories to Food Banks of Canada.
First, they launched an awareness campaign on social media, via influencers and with their partners at The Running Room to spread the word and explain how the program worked. On social media, short, eye-catching videos that depicted different workout equipment being turned into food items (such as barbells into cans of tuna) visually demonstrated the good that could come from taking part in the program. Plus, the videos showed exactly how much their workouts were “worth.” If you did 36 bench presses, you’d be donating one can of tuna.
To get the most donations, they wanted to make sure participation was as easy as possible and that they were able to include everyone. Anyone who had a calorie-tracking workout app just had to screenshot their results and post it to social media using their hashtag. No app? No problem. Audiences could also submit by telling Michelob Ultra what their workout consisted of, and, using an average calculation, the calories burned could be estimated.
Then, when COVID hit, the need for food banks skyrocketed. Plus, gyms had closed, meaning the target was desperate to get in a workout at home. So, they launched Instagram and Facebook Live workouts hosted by fitness influencers. All the target had to do was show up and start sweating, and they’d automatically donate the equivalent calories burned. And, to make sure it was still keeping things fun, after the 30- minute workout, the livestreams turned into 30-minute socials for a post-workout happy hour. After the workout sessions, they posted the videos to the MU Canada YouTube channel and boosted them with paid media, so that people who couldn’t tune in could still watch the
content on demand.
The world of branded content has gotten far more competitive, so Michelob Ultra, who has always had to rely on niche targeting and more efficient productions than mass television allows, was acutely aware of the need to stand out from the crowd. By creating the Cal For Cal program, they developed a system for content creation that combined user participation, influencer content, branded workout videos, and live events all into one highly engaging, cohesive campaign idea. Tying their cause directly to a calorie message incorporated the product RTBs in a meaningful way that wouldn’t have been achievable with traditional advertising and had not been done before in this category.
The program was such a success that MU expanded it across the U.S. and Mexico, proving to healthy, active consumers across the continent what the MU brand stands for and getting them engaged with their brand in an extremely meaningful way, all while helping those who really needed it.
The program successfully solidified the brand’s presence in a healthier, fitness-oriented lifestyle, and proved to their target that they didn’t have to cut out beer to live well.
As a result, their campaign delivered over 671 million impressions, reached 42% of their qualified audience, exceeded the ABI YouTube View Rate benchmark by 88%, with 97% positive online sentiment, increased MU brand awareness by 3%, trial by 4%, market share by +0.7pts, and Brand Meaning scores by 8pts, from 81 to 89, and helped Michelob Ultra become the fastest-growing beer in the country. Far more importantly, their target’s engagement results in over 770 million calories burned – or 385,000 meals for those in need.
Credits
Agency: FCBChief Creative Officers: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, Jeff Hilts
Group Creative Director: Jennifer Rossini
Associate Creative Director: Jordan Gladman, Nimy Leshinski & Henry Park
Senior Art Director: Cody Sabatine
Senior Writer: Joseph Vernuccio
Art Director: Jerry Yang
Copywriter: Jon Dawe
Designer: Barry McLynn
MTL Copywriter: Olivier Laplante
VP, Managing Director: Tracy Little
Group Account Director: Ravi Singh
Account Director: Alex Pente
Account Executive: Chris Flynn
MTL Accounts: Elizabeth Breault & Melisa Piro
Producer: Rachel D’Ercole & Carol Boate
Project Manager: Cori Petit & Natalie Copeland
Chief Strategy Officer: Shelley Brown
Strategy Director: Shelagh Hartford
Production Company: Radar
Executive Producer: Stef Fabich
Editing House: Radar
Editor: Vanessa DiStaulo & Kelly Armstrong & Warren Goodwin
Studio: Fuelcontent
Studio Manager: Rosanne Woodley
Production Artist: Leslie Cuoto & Yana Zinovyeva
Proofreader: Ashleigh Smith
Brand Team:
VP, Marketing: Todd Allen
Director of Marketing: Natalie Lucas
Brand Manager: Julie Grant
Brand Manager: Melisa Bayrav
Community Manager: Stella Cho
Trade Marketing Manager: Jessica Sinclair
Media Agency: Vizeum
Associate Director: Steve White
Manager: Sam Monteiro
PR Company: Veritas
Senior Account Manager: Madeleine Barker
Senior Consultant: Madeline Geddes
Consultant: Jessica Walcot
Social Media Agency: Social Code
Team Lead: Danielle DeGrandis
Associate Account Manager: Madeleine Glouner
Media Operations Manager: Anthony Castellani
Trade: Mosaic Shopper
Director, Client Services: Mandi Courteau
Account Manager: Aaron Carley