Michelob Ultra Crops Athletes Out Photos to Center on Joy

Pressure to succeed is instilled in many of us throughout our lives. That's especially true for athletes. While winning is a vital part of being a pro player, many have reached burnout early in their careers as a result of unrealistic expectations. In hopes of challenging the mindset that forces so many into high-stress lifestyles, Michelob Light’s "It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It" campaign is asking consumers to reexamine the definition of success. Created in partnership with agency Gut, this continuation of its ongoing platform features a series of cropped photos showing the trophies of world-famous athletes Serena Williams, Brooks Koepka, Alex Morgan, Nneka Ogwumike and Anthony Davis during some of their most iconic sports moments. The edited photos do not prominently feature any of these key players. They do, however, capture their moments of pure joy in the reflections of their trophies, which the brand says is the most important component of any athlete's career. To help make its point, the series is also asking its athletes to share the backstory behind the wins, from Serena Williams’ first championship win after the birth of her daughter to Anthony Davis’ emotional rollercoaster of a year that led to an NBA Championship win in the middle of the pandemic. Joy: the pinnacle of success “The issue the brand is tackling with this campaign goes so far beyond the world of sports,” said Ricardo Casal, North America ecd and global partner at Gut, in a statement. “So when you have five of the world’s most elite athletes reminding you that the pinnacle of success is not a piece of metal but instead a genuinely happy smile, it goes a long way toward helping us all truly enjoy doing the things we love.” “The happiness on these athletes' faces is something that is impossible to ignore,” said Ricardo Marques, vp of marketing at Michelob Ultra US & Global, Anheuser-Busch InBev. “But when you see it in the reflection of the trophy that they pushed so hard to be able to hold and hear the story of the joy they felt along the way, it becomes much more meaningful. Joy truly has always been the ultimate trophy.” The platform will be running throughout Spring 2022 via print, OOH and social elements. The athletes involved will share the work across their own social media along with touching stories that tell the tale behind the smiles in the images. CREDITS: ABI Client Ricardo Marques – Vice President of Marketing, Michelob ULTRA & Global Talita Andrade – Senior Marketing Director, Michelob ULTRAMiles Ritenour – Director of Digital Marketing, Michelob ULTRAAndrew Gelbard – Head of Regional MediaBridget Inglima – Media Manager, Michelob ULTRALindsay Marzocca - Media Lead, Michelob ULTRA FamilyAlexis Unwalla – Director of Digital Marketing, Michelob ULTRAJessica Thorpe – PR LeadDylan Ruby – Director of Sports Marketing and Partnerships, Michelob ULTRA GUT Anselmo Ramos – Creative Chairman/Co-FounderCarmen Rodriguez – GUT Miami Managing Director/ Global Chief Client Officer/ PartnerJuan Javier Peña Plaza – North America Executive Creative Director/ Global PartnerRicardo Casal – North America Executive Creative Director/ Global PartnerFernando Ribeiro – Global Chief Strategy Officer/ PartnerRenata Neumann – Head of ProductionKristin Childers – Head of ProductionJoselyn Bickford – Head of AccountsGuido Fusetti – Head of ArtJeff Schermer – Associate Creative DirectorJose Ramirez – Associate Creative DirectorAurélie Diaz – Art DirectorJared Blinderman – Junior CopywriterBuchun Jiang – Creative ConsultantAkoma M’ba – Account DirectorManuela Castro – Management SupervisorLaila Houser – Account ExecutiveBruno Steffen – Strategy DirectorJunia Parodi – Creative ManagerChristina Moses Cornejo – Creative ManagerKristy Garcia - Senior Social Project ManagerVanessa Rodriguez - Project ManagerAle Marie Odriozola – Senior ProducerEmma Giorelli– Production InternAlexandra Velasco – Director of Communications Platinum FMD Leonardo VilelaFlavio AlbinoLeonardo EscobarDiego Oliveira 6 Degrees Karen Snow, Research SpecialistChristine Ginsberg, Project ManagerGeorge Bartko, Co-Founder Nike and The GenderCool Project Kick Off a Campaign Celebrating Trans Student Athletes

Alcohol Industry News

This Michelob Ultra Campaign Crops Winning Athletes Out of Iconic Photos to Center on Joy

AB InBev and Gut use partial images to tell a full story about the love of the sport

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