2024 Winner
SilverBest in Experiential/Stunts - Budget Over $100,000
Labatt (Michelob Ultra)
"Ultra Hole"
Anomaly / Dentsu
"Ultra Hole"
Anomaly / Dentsu
In 2023, Michelob Ultra was facing steep competition in the light beer category. In a bid to defend its share, the brand made a big bet on golf to bolster its reach and engagement of 35+ year olds that live a healthy, and active lifestyle. But as a brand that strives to break the conventions of sport, and bring joy to every moment, how do you activate in golf – a sport that is notoriously boring, and mundane?
There are few things in sport more joyous or rare than acing a hole-in-one. In fact, the agency’s research showed that the chances of getting a hole-in-one is 3,500 to 1 for professionals, and 12,500 to 1 for amateurs. But, one amateur in particular, ESPY ‘Best Play’ Award nominee Michael Block, had recently done just that with his epic and much talked about hole-in-one at the PGA Championships.
The “Ultra Hole” Challenge: a 90 shot, 90 yard live-stream event that gave fans the chance to win rounds of golf for life if Mike Block could defeat the odds, and sink his second hole-in-one
of the season.
To launch the “Ultra Hole Challenge”, Michelob Ultra kicked everything off on the night of the ESPY Awards. Following a post on his own channels, highlighting his iconic hole-in-one, they asked one simple question in the comments: think you can do it again? His response: LFG!
In a fast follow, the agency used everything from social to TSN lower-thirds and app notifications to let everyone in on the excitement, offering fans rounds of golf for life if they could guess which ball, of the 90, might land in the hole.
Then on the weekend of the British Open, Michelob Ultra took over an iconic par 3 hole at one of the most famed golf courses in Canada, Glen Abbey, to host the “Ultra Hole” challenge.
TSN, Canada’s most-watched sports network, was on-site to livestream the event hosted by iconic golf broadcaster Bob Weeks. The “Ultra Hole” was customized so that fans could watch up close as Michael took his swings at hitting the most epic shot in golf.
The “Ultra Hole Challenge” introduced a novel approach to fan engagement by transforming a live sporting event into an interactive experience. The gamification element, allowing fans to predict the winning shot, was a groundbreaking strategy that elevated viewer participation beyond traditional passive consumption. By leveraging technology to create a real-time, interactive experience, the campaign pushed the boundaries of sports marketing and set a new standard for live
event fan engagement.
There are few things in sport more joyous or rare than acing a hole-in-one. In fact, the agency’s research showed that the chances of getting a hole-in-one is 3,500 to 1 for professionals, and 12,500 to 1 for amateurs. But, one amateur in particular, ESPY ‘Best Play’ Award nominee Michael Block, had recently done just that with his epic and much talked about hole-in-one at the PGA Championships.
The “Ultra Hole” Challenge: a 90 shot, 90 yard live-stream event that gave fans the chance to win rounds of golf for life if Mike Block could defeat the odds, and sink his second hole-in-one
of the season.
To launch the “Ultra Hole Challenge”, Michelob Ultra kicked everything off on the night of the ESPY Awards. Following a post on his own channels, highlighting his iconic hole-in-one, they asked one simple question in the comments: think you can do it again? His response: LFG!
In a fast follow, the agency used everything from social to TSN lower-thirds and app notifications to let everyone in on the excitement, offering fans rounds of golf for life if they could guess which ball, of the 90, might land in the hole.
Then on the weekend of the British Open, Michelob Ultra took over an iconic par 3 hole at one of the most famed golf courses in Canada, Glen Abbey, to host the “Ultra Hole” challenge.
TSN, Canada’s most-watched sports network, was on-site to livestream the event hosted by iconic golf broadcaster Bob Weeks. The “Ultra Hole” was customized so that fans could watch up close as Michael took his swings at hitting the most epic shot in golf.
The “Ultra Hole Challenge” introduced a novel approach to fan engagement by transforming a live sporting event into an interactive experience. The gamification element, allowing fans to predict the winning shot, was a groundbreaking strategy that elevated viewer participation beyond traditional passive consumption. By leveraging technology to create a real-time, interactive experience, the campaign pushed the boundaries of sports marketing and set a new standard for live
event fan engagement.
Credits
Executive Creative Director / Partner, Anomaly, Dave DouglassGroup Creative Director, Anomaly, Neil Blewett
Associate Creative Director, Copy, Anomaly, Mike Johnson
Associate Creative Director, Art, Anomaly, Jonathan Crandell
Design Director, Anomaly, Shawn Lambino
Sr. Designer, Anomaly, Lucas Young
Motion Designer, Anomaly, Scotty Booth
CEO & Partner, Anomaly, Candace Borland
Head of Client Services, Anomaly, Matt Holton
Business Director, Anomaly, Anjelica Kapetanos
Group Strategy Director, Anomaly, Paul Lipson
Head of Comms Strategy, Anomaly, Kira Montgomery
Social Strategy Director, Anomaly, Matthew Stasoff
Content Creator, Anomaly, Devante Mowatt
Head of Production, Anomaly, Marie-Pierre Toure
Agency Producer, Anomaly, Adam Reid
Photographer, Anomaly, Adam Reid
Cinematographer/ Dir of Photography, Anomaly, Devante Mowatt / Maxim Vlassenko
Production Company, UNR
Executive Producer, UNR, Annya Williams
Production Company Producer, UNR, Maxim Vlassenko
Editing Company, UNR
Editor, UNR, Scotty Booth
Brand Director, Premium, Labatt, Mike Bascom
Assistant Marketing Manager, Labatt, Rochelle Singer
PR Agency, Veritas PR
Media Agency, Dentsu