Budweiser was going to launch its biggest campaign to date, with 3 of the world's most famous football players, 1 of the world's biggest music stars, World Cup limited edition bottles and 8 Doha stadiums serving beer. Then, 48h before the kickoff, the news came: the beer was banned from all the World Cup stadiums and Budweiser was left with a warehouse full of beer that could not be sold at the World Cup. As the world media got news of the beer ban all eyes turned to Budweiser.

And there was a question everyone was asking: What do we do with all that Bud?

After doing quick consumer listening through social and market research, we saw that the whole world was wondering what would happen with the beer on the ground. That was when we decided to make the most of the tricky situation: we announced we'd give away an equivalent amount of Budweiser to whoever won the World Cup. We started a movement called #BringHomeTheBud and turned an unexpected obstacle into a massive opportunity.

Naturally, our efforts started where the news was exploding - Twitter. We responded with a simple tweet acknowledging the “awkwardness” of the situation. After media picked up our reaction, we doubled down by telling the world that an equivalent amount of the World Cup beer would go to the winning country. Then, we turned ordinary beer shipping containers into billboards dropping them in city squares across 7 countries and 4 continents - a highly shareable and visual demonstration of what was at stake.

#BringHomeTheBud became a real-time campaign as dynamic as the tournament itself. Every win and loss dictated our next move.

While this was a global campaign, it had local fandom. Throughout the tournament we fanned the flames by encouraging the fans to not only cheer for their teams but to will home the biggest victory celebration the world has ever seen. Our comms adjusted in real-time depending on the progress of the tournament and storylines. Fans were not just watching our campaign but playing a role in it.

When teams won, we dropped containers as teasers in major landmarks with localized messaging. And then in-stadium, we forced our way onto fieldboards that were seen over the Cup's broadcast. After the cup was won, we upheld our promise and took to the streets of Argentina's victory celebration with 1MM+ beers.

At the end of the day, Budweiser became the most talked about brand during the World Cup and reached astonishing brand and business results.