You probably see hundreds of celebrity endorsement ads every week. But do you ever remember what they were selling? To relaunch our global brand platform in partnership with David Beckham, we created the first celebrity campaign where the product was the star. We knew his fans would recognize him by just his tattoos, so instead of using his face or name, we turned him into the world's most famous hand model, putting our logo front and center. Fans flocked to social to share that they "got it," proving that it's possible for a simple, clever print ad to drive action.

We live in a culture obsessed with the concept of celebrity. Social media has led fans to develop what psychologists call "parasocial relationships" with their favorite actors, singers, and athletes, which means we see them so often and so "authentically" in our feeds, that we start to think of them as our close friends. Some fans go as far as knowing every detail about their fave's dating history, the beer they order most often, the pairs of shoes in their closet, and even the tattoos on their body. When a simple social media post from a celeb can cause a product to sell out in minutes, this obsession has become inextricably linked to advertising.

As the lines between content and ads become even more blurred, partnering with a celebrity who aligns with your brand values is expected. But that doesn't mean your ads have to be. In a world where celebrity endorsements are the standard, Stella Artois leaned on super-fan culture to break the formula and get people talking about a celebrity ad where the brand was the star.

Stella Artois' "Reassuringly Expensive" campaign made the brand famous. Forty years later, it's all but forgotten outside of the advertising industry. To revive the brand, we decided to harness what made it successful: elevating the product as something worth more than anything else. But first, we needed to redefine what "worth" means in a culture that values experiences over material things. Our new platform, "Worth More," celebrates the moments of genuine connection our beer facilitates.

When deciding who best to represent Stella Artois in this new era, globally-renowned soccer star David Beckham was an obvious choice. Sure, he may be known for his trophies, sports cars, and expensive taste, but if the hit 2023 Netflix documentary "Beckham" taught us anything, it's that this man truly understands what's worth most in life—his family and friends.

We had the platform. We had the partner. Now we needed a way to launch it.

In response to the launch and subsequent rollout, Yahoo! called the Beckham partnership "A Natural Fit." When the campaign made it to social media, fans and media outlets alike praised the brand for our cleverness and willingness to break the mold. Even Guiness commented to say they "recognize those hands." This simple idea kicked off a brand campaign that garnered 735 million earned impressions and was covered by outlets like CNN, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and more.