Stella Artois asks people to 'invest your heartbeats' in special occasions

Dive Brief:

Stella Artois plans to run a Super Bowl commercial starring singer Lenny Kravitz as part of its new "Invest Your Heartbeats in the Life Artois" multichannel campaign. The 30-second "Heartbeat Billionaire" spot was inspired by the idea that a person's heart beats 2.5 billion times in a lifetime, and those heartbeats should be invested in creating good memories with social occasions, per an announcement shared with Marketing Dive.
The AB InBev brand will run the campaign through March with TV, online, social and out-of-home advertising. The beer brand will offer "low-risk, high-return investment advice" in artistic OOH ads that show a "juxtaposition of typical business counsel reimagined as tips for savoring life together," per its announcement.
Stella is running a Super Bowl ad as AB InBev — like many major advertisers — revamps its promotional efforts for the game. Budweiser won't appear during the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years, though ads for best-selling brands Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer will run.

Dive Insight:

Stella Artois is returning to the Super Bowl with its "Invest Your Heartbeats" campaign as the brand seeks broader reach for its multichannel effort. The "Heartbeat Billionaire" spot starring Lenny Kravitz will run regionally, per a separate press release. AB InBev is adopting a similar targeted strategy for its Cutwater Spirits brand of canned cocktails, which will kick off a new brand campaign with a 30-second spot in select markets but not on CBS's national broadcast.

Stella hinted in its announcement that the "Invest Your Heartbeats" campaign will culminate in a forthcoming announcement to "keep people investing in each other through winter with special incentives and unforgettable experiences." Until that time comes, Stella has urged people to tag friends on Twitter who have made the year special for a chance to win a round of beers to enjoy together. The company will provide more campaign updates on its social media channels, per its announcement.

The pandemic also led Stella to revamp its experiential marketing efforts for the Super Bowl. Last year, it hosted an outdoor event during the game's lead-up as fans gathered in Miami. The "Port de Stella Miami" activation included a collaboration with gourmet restaurants, celebrity cooking demonstrations and a ride on a luxury yacht. With many fans staying at home, Stella this year partnered with meal kit service Blue Apron to offer Stella Stadium Bites, a game-day menu of four dishes to serve six people, along with four Stella Artois chalices. The brand last month streamed a special version of its "Stella Sessions" cooking show to demonstrate how to make the food for a Super Bowl party.

The collaboration with Blue Apron is another sign of how Stella has pivoted its marketing efforts during the pandemic to engage with homebound consumers. Its social media contest in December 2020 gave Broadway fans who can't go to theaters in person a chance to see a livestreamed performance of songs from the musical "Jagged Little Pill." Stella also created a virtual Hotel Artois at Home experience to provide the services of a luxury hotel to viewers, and partnered with travel site Tripadvisor to turn canceled vacations into fun "staycation" experiences associated with its brand. The forthcoming announcement about its "Invest Your Heartbeats" campaign will likely continue to engage consumers in new ways.