HOST

Description of the role: Host brands have a special power to bring people together. They are brands that represent a topic, a trend, a cause or a shared interest that a group of people have in common. They may also help people be in touch with others or meet new people with same interests. Typically Host brands are topical brands that in one way or another live in the “now”, or in other words are tightly integrated with a particular moment in time.

Michelob Ultra – Michelob Ultra Courtside

When the whole world was shutting down, NBA was yearning for their audiences. Players felt like it just wasn’t the same playing without the fans. Michelob Ultra seized the opportunity and joined forces with Microsoft Teams to offer people a chance to experience the game like never before.

17 foot video boards were wrapped around the NBA bubble, featuring a Teams meeting of full people, who activated a seat in the game by scanning a Michelob Ultra bottle. People had the chance to interact with other fans in their section. Even Obama and Shaq dropped in.

Motivators for followers: Social reasons, the need to belong

Stereotype of a host brand: “A brand of the moment”, event, artist, or venue.

And the game experience was top-notch thanks to new camera angles and 120 contact microphones embedded under the floor.

The response was unexpectedly positive, turning the campaign into a pop culture phenomenon – reaching a total of 81.5 million hours of live NBA coverage. Fans all over the world and it became the number one topic in the sport industry, increasing Michelob Ultra’s sales by a whopping 32 percent.