Situation:

Gen-Z, despite extensive online networks, experience heightened loneliness, marked by a decline in shared social experiences. As a brand deeply committed to fostering social interaction, this presented a significant challenge for us.

Brief:

In 2023, we recognized an opportunity to reconnect with this audience and reintroduce shared experiences to Gen-Z. So we sought a strategic collaboration with a partner who strongly resonated with our brand ethos and target audience. Crucially, they needed to be able to engage and mobilise a diverse demographic across two countries.

Objectives:

Our goal was a bold partnership to engage Gen-Z in a meaningful way. Intertwining streetwear aesthetics with Budweiser branding to unite diverse subcultures who were not only disengaging socially, they were hyper-cautious about corporate inauthenticity. We planned events, brand collabs, streetwear drops and a refresh of our entire product line.

We bet big, bringing Verdy's journey with Bud full-circle to make his unauthorized sampling... official.

Verdy was the perfect partner to connect with Gen Z. Under his direction, we blended streetwear with Budweiser branding, engaging diverse and passionate subcultures and imbuing our product designs with cultural caché.

Verdy's message of Youth not being wasted resonated strongly with us, and our audience. Through this partnership, we were able to spread this ethos across millions of products, 3D billboards and highly-sought after merchandise.

Under the Budweiser x Wasted Youth logo, we created events that brought together hiphop fans, designers, musicians and brands; many groups that we had struggled to resonate with before the added Wasted Youth influence.

We strategically targeted male and female Gen Z individuals of legal drinking age residing in urban areas and are passionate about fashion, music, and sports.

To this end, finding the perfect collaboration partner for your audience does not happen everyday.

Our approach was to legitimise Verdy’s appropriation of our design, making him our creative Director. We wanted to leverage both his extensive network, eye catching Budweiser designs and inspirational message.

It was this message, based on his own experiences, that ultimately drove our strategy, Our targeting out audience of music and culture enthusiasts in their 20s-30s.

Though your younger years may feel directionless, Youth is never Wasted; The experiences and communities we build help us blossom in later life.

By fostering these connections through live events, authentic branding and strategic partnerships, we sought to engage this demographic as never before.

Our collaboration took flight with a photoshoot paying homage to design maestro, Nigo. Influencers received specially crafted packages designed for on-camera unboxing, featuring both product and exclusive merchandise. Released through a fashion drop, the product drew eager crowds, forming long lines that spoke volumes about its cultural caché.

In Korea, our venture joined forces with influential eyewear brand, Gentle Monster, placing our collab merchandise in their flagship Haus Dosan store.

Spanning four weeks, our campaign lit up Tokyo's iconic 3D billboard and vibed at a Verdy-curated hip-hop concert. Attended by influencers and celebrities, the event amplified our message, underscoring the exclusivity of our product.

Additional three way collaborations flourished with upcoming clothing label 'Car Service', Phone case brand 'Casetify', iconic guitar maker, 'Fender' even pizza joints, all handpicked by Verdy to promote his message towards this hard-to-reach generation.

The campaign delivered exceptional outcomes. With Japan, 2.3 million units sold in Japan within four weeks, and 600,000 in Korea during the same period.

Social engagement thrived, with +56% social shares in Japan, and +40% in Korea, compared to pre-campaign levels.

Brand equity rose marked by Japan’s 0.5 brand power uplift year-on-year, and Korea’s substantial enhancements in brand imagery perceptions, including a 5.1 percentage point increase in innovative perception and a 2.3 percentage point rise in perceptions related to enhancing social occasions.

Media reach surpassed expectations, with Japan achieving 107% increase in total weekly reach and in Korea, a 43% rise in reach vs. target audience.

Our Tokyo event drew over 2000 attendees, while a pop-up store at Korean eyewear brand, Gentle Monster, saw merchandise sales totaling USD$46,000.

The Verdy Campaign saw higher registration compared to all past Budweiser enter to win campaigns (+34% compared to FIFA campaign)