Stella Artois is the Official Beer of The Championships Wimbledon after signing a five-year sponsorship. It’s a natural relationship – Sebastien Artois, the brand’s founder, was the first ever Wimbledon champion. Stella Artois and Wimbledon also share humble beginnings, and this is the focus of the 2016 campaign.
The new campaign is the second chapter of the Be Legacy campaign launched by Mother London in March last year for Stella Artois’ 600th anniversary.
Stella Artois asks, “What do you want to be remembered for?”
The 2016 campaign is spearhead by a TV ad directed by Andreas Nilsson, who when he is not making dramatic stunts like Epic Split that become world famous is known for his cinematic style, and produced by Biscuit Filmworks. The ad recalls the time in Victorian London when no one had heard of Wimbledon, to show that even the biggest legacies have to start somewhere.
It’s the story of a young man who is trying to sell tickets to a brand new event – the very first Wimbledon. It was created in-studio using the kind of highly-crafted set builds typical of Technicolour productions like Gone With The Wind and used classic period films as references to create a fantastical image of Victorian London.
It’s a lovely story, but the aim of the campaign is make a huge noise, generate word of mouth promotion and attract millennials to the brand. Millennials love experiences. Mother London has given them a time travel one. Here is everything else that Mother London and Stella Artois have crammed into the campaign:
TVC (Never Heard of It)
The spot launched on June 13, and is supported by Facebook-specific films until the end of The Championships.
Experiential: Stella Artois is hosting an immersive theatre experience for five days in London, that will transport audiences back to Victorian London in search of the first Wimbledon. The brand worked with Olivier Nominated theatre troupe, Les Enfants Terribles, and creative studio Framestore, to develop the experience. Find out more about The Time Portal here.
Digital: Stella Artois will be the first alcohol brand in the UK to advertise on Snapchat, owning 100% SoV for the three key days of the Wimbledon Live Feed, day one of The Championships and all of finals weekend. The brand will continue its partnership with The Championships Wimbledon and Twitter Amplify, sponsoring all of Wimbledon’s official non-play content on Twitter (100% SoV). Stella Artois is also using Sky Advance technology to actively target those who have watched Wimbledon on the BBC through premium VoD.
OOH: Stella Artois worked with consumer data provider Locomizer to pinpoint the areas of highest Wimbledon chatter on Twitter and is using the nearest OOH locations to these. Advertising will be featured on OOH TV through GPM360 and CScreens, including 3,000 screens in bars around the nation and 12 large outdoor screens in high traffic areas including Wimbledon Fanzone viewing locations and the More London Festival big screen.
Trade: Stella Artois’ limited edition Wimbledon packaging that includes a special edition 660ml bottle with a white and red wrap design will be included in a variety of on and off trade activity to give retailers the tools they need to increase sales throughout Wimbledon.
