THE ASK:

In 2016 AB InBev was struggling with the Bud Light Lime-a-Rita Brand. Originally launched in 2012, after a failed attempt to revive through celebrity endorsement with Nelly didn’t hit the mark, they went back to the drawing boards and spent a year gathering customer data. What they discovered was the consumer hadn’t changed, they were resonating with women since their arrival on shelf in 2012. The marketing had to – so they put out an RFP to 3 agencies to win the business with the goal of being the first AB InBev brand to market solely to women.

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INSIGHT:

There is a special bond between female drinkers and margaritas, which allows them to unleash their inner selves. This isn’t about rolling up to the club trying to grab a dude, but rather coming together with unabashed honesty and some female bonding time.

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IDEA:

Do Yourself A Flavor – take all of these “Margarita Moments” that are truly female bonding experiences and reward our audience for turning a girls night into one of “those nights” by doing themselves a flavor and bringing “Rita” to the party.

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RESULT:

Strategically pivoted Lime-a-Rita to a drink women can be happy to carry by identifying those moments when you want to “bring Rita.” Won the pitch for “the agency” corresponding shopper marketing and social media marketing strategies. “The Ritas” were born proudly touting female bonding, calling out gender stereotypes and dropping “Bud Light” all together. Moving to AB InBev’s “Beyond Beer Portfolio” portfolio grew 20% in 2021.

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DELIVERABLES:

Pitch Creative Concepting

Consumer Strategy – Data Analysis

Creative Direction

Branding - Redesign