Dive Brief:

• Bud Light is purchasing all the electricity at this month's League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in Houston, Texas, from clean and renewable sources to mark its efforts toward becoming climate-neutral certified, according to a press release.
• The announcement comes after Bud Light Next, the brand's zero-carb beer, was declared Climate Neutral Certified by an independent group just two months after the beer hit store shelves.
• The move to offset the electricity required to power the LCS Spring Finals builds on Bud Light's existing partnership with the immensely popular video game, while also adding to Bud Light's roster of climate-related accomplishments and milestones.

Dive Insight:

Bud Light Next seeks to capitalize on consumers' growing concern for the environment while emphasizing its partnership with the multiplayer video game League of Legends. All electricity used during the game's Spring Finals, which takes place on April 23-24, will be sourced from wind power. The initiative is Bud Light's latest effort to raise the environmental profile of its Bud Light Next brew, which parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev is attempting to make its first zero-net carbon beer.

"When we launched Bud Light NEXT, we wanted to bring a beer to market that was all about breaking barriers, just like the consumers it was brewed for," Andy Goeler, Bud Light's vice president of marketing, said in a press release. "We have a huge opportunity with Bud Light NEXT to take bold action that creates a better future for our consumers and the next generations to come, and our Climate Neutral certification is a big step in that journey for us."

The company has heavily marketed Bud Light Next to younger consumers since its February debut. At its launch, Bud Light unveiled a line of exclusive NFTs that gave purchasers voting rights on merchandise and access to exclusive events. The can is also reminiscent of an energy drink, which are popular among millennials.

By backing up environmental talk with action, Anheuser-Busch hopes to win millennial consumers, especially as they drink less beer than previous generations. Millennials and Gen Zers tend to be more likely to make purchasing decisions linked to supporting the environment. Making the environment a priority should be key for advertisers who are hoping to capture the attention and wallet share of younger generations, as there is a growing trend of people buying from brands that take sustainable actions. Bud Light's decision to purchase all of the electricity for the LCS Spring Finals from renewable sources could help to grab attention and affection, especially since it is tied to gaming — another focus of younger consumers.