Michelob Ultra Pure Gold foots baggage fees for outdoor enthusiasts

Dive Brief:

Michelob Ultra is kicking off a sweepstakes for its Pure Gold brand to help outdoor sports enthusiasts return to nature, per an announcement. The "Board Your Gear" effort will run from July 6 through Aug. 17, and will include one 30-second and three 15-second spots, out-of-home (OOH) media and social and experiential pop-ups in select airports.
Entrants who post a picture of their outdoor sports gear on Twitter or Instagram and tag #BoardYourGear, #Sweepstakes and @MichelobULTRA will be entered to have their oversized baggage fees paid for by Michelob Ultra. The campaign caters to both professional athletes and amateurs looking to fly for an outdoor sports-related vacation.
Michelob Ultra is back to promoting its sustainable beer with a nature-themed campaign that targets like-minded consumers. The campaign is also the latest effort by parent company AB InBev to excite fans for the return of activities that were hindered by the pandemic.

Dive Insight:

Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, which contains all-organic ingredients and is brewed by 100% renewable electricity via solar power, is hoping to appeal to its nature-minded consumers with a sweepstakes that caters to their interests. Embarking on an outdoor sports-related trip can be costly, especially with the heavy gear that cyclists, kayakers, surfers and others need to check as oversized baggage if they're flying. By offering to pay for this expense, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold could attract these consumers.

The campaign's nature-focused messaging is also consistent with how Michelob Ultra has marketed the brand in the past. Previously, it sampled sounds of the sun in an original song featuring Colombian musician Maluma and highlighting the brand's 100% renewable production. As with the song, the "Board Your Gear" sweepstakes seeks to promote sustainability to engage with consumers who increasingly prioritize authenticity from brands. Given that organic products are popular amongst people who are especially passionate about sustainability, this messaging is even more critical for the Pure Gold brand.

By establishing social media as a home for the sweepstakes, Michelob Ultra could potentially stir up more buzz for Pure Gold. The tagging requirement leverages pathways to virality on both Twitter and Instagram, and the campaign also taps world champion surfer John John Florence to encourage people to enter the sweepstakes. Florence offers a pool of 1.4 million followers on Instagram that Michelob Ultra could draw from in order to grow its reach. Also conducive to finding more consumers is the activation of other forms of media, including multiple spots posted to the brewer's YouTube channel, OOH placements and airport pop-ups. Michelob Ultra in the announcement also alluded to a future effort targeting winter adventurers.

"Board Your Gear" arrives as parent company AB InBev continues to lean into excitement for the return of activities made difficult by the pandemic. Earlier in June, Michelob Ultra launched a sweepstakes for its main brand that celebrated the return of live sports and included a grand prize of two tickets to five major sporting events throughout 2022. Both this giveaway and Pure Gold's are part of AB InBev's larger campaign called "Let's Grab a Beer," which in addition to exciting consumers has also sought to stimulate the country's COVID recovery. Examples of this latter effort include launching digital vaccine trackers and offering free beer to vaccinated consumers.