Cannes Lions

Natural Light College Loans Program

AB INBEV, New York / NATURAL LIGHT / 2018

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Overview

Entries

Credits

OVERVIEW

Description

Through an integrated campaign, Natural Light gave away $1,000,000 to help pay college loans between February 5 – May 6. 25 consumers could win $40,000 each and the mechanic was simple: post a video to social media sharing your inspiration for college.

Natty hit shelves in college markets with a limited-edition 36-pack with special green tabs. All consumer video submissions needed to include the green dollar-sign tab.

We took an irreverent approach to one of the biggest moments of the year - the Super Bowl - to run a targeted TV spot that looked more like a college student’s home-video. Instead of a big national buy, we released the spot during the game in ten college cities where college debt would resonate the most.

The brand received 2000+ creative and dynamic entries from current US students and graduates.

Natural Light, Barstool Sports, and Jake Johnson announced winners throughout the campaign.

Execution

Natural Light implemented a three-pronged approach:

1. Trade Launch: Coverage at launch via exclusives with Business Insider, AdAge, Drum and BeerNet – each pivoting off uregional Super Bowl spot and comment from brand spokesperson

2. Jake Johnson: Next day, Johnson met national titles across NYC, advocating the initiative and discussing personal college experiences. Interviews provided a second burst of coverage immediately.

3. Super Bowl Week: Following week, we pre-pitched SB round-ups and the ten markets where the spot airs to drive more articles around our irreverent approach to the big game.

Campaign launched February 5:

Trade Launch (24 January)

Johnson Press Tour (25 January)

Super Bowl Week (29 January – 2 February)

On-going winner regional pitching (March – May)

Campaign executed efficiently and low-budget. Aside from the actual monetary giveaway, all expenditures were minimal.

We received earned coverage in the nation’s biggest titles including CNBC, People, Business Insider and Yahoo!

Outcome

Tier 1:

-117 total hits across the United States throughout the campaign, including 62 hits within national and local broadcast

-100% positive sentiment throughout all coverage

-Total of 550,000,000 monthly earned impressions

-88% of coverage included Natural Light within the headline

-Source: M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, Cision

Tier 2:

-Brand consideration among 21-27s up +0.4% 2018 YTD vs. full year 2017 (5.3% vs. 4.9%) Source: IRI, ECT

Tier 3:

-Natural Light growing share of beer +0.07 YTD

-Natural Light growing share of segment +0.48 YTD

-Volume flat YTD vs. -1.8% YTD 2017

-Source: IRI, ECT