- WATCH: Bud Light partners with world-class esports team Fnatic, respawning the Bud Knight in new video
- Bud Light launches first ever beer and esports on-pack promotion in Europe- with EPIC prizes to be won
LONDON 16 November 2020: Known for being the official beer of the England senior men’s football team, Bud Light today announces a European first with another group of elite professional athletes with millions of avid fans – esports players.
The move includes a huge partnership with the UK’s most successful esports team of the last decade, Fnatic.
Bud Light has teamed up with firm fan favourite, professional player and creator for Fnatic – Harry Hesketh – in a 30-second video featuring the respawned Bud Knight, who seemingly perished in the Game of Thrones-inspired Bud Light Super Bowl advert last year. Watch the video here. The video will appear across Bud Light social channels, on Fnatic’s YouTube page and on Twitch from now and through December.
As part of the partnership Bud Light has launched the first ever beer and esports on-pack promotion in Europe, giving millions of gamers a chance to win big.
Each pack has a unique on-pack code which gives beer and gaming fans the chance to win a gaming night to remember with a Fnatic Pro player or the chance to win one of 100 sought after Fnatic Reach headsets.
Esports have a significant fan base with tournaments seeing more than 800 million viewers globally in the last year, with 7.3 million people watching esports in the UK.[1]
And Bud Light globally is no stranger to the esports community, having been named as a partner and official beer of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in the US, earlier this year.
Bud Light also collaborated with Fnatic last year to host one of the country’s biggest viewing parties for the League of Legends Worlds Finals at the Clapham Grand in London.
Martina Isella, Sr Brand Manager at Bud Light says: “This year we wanted to make sure we were reaching our target audience of 18 to 30 year olds by modernising beer through culture and fun. We needed something that was more relevant than ever for this group, and esports is a growth phenomenon and one of the most rapidly growing passion points for this age bracket, which was accelerated by the pandemic.
“The audience in this space is massive and stats show that daily viewers in lockdown increased exponentially with the average daily viewers up by over 65%[2]. And although we’ve been playing in the world of esports for a while, we knew that this was the right time to take it to the next level. What better way to do this than by partnering with one of the most successful and iconic teams in esports history, Fnatic. We’re looking forward to what comes next for Bud Light and gaming – follow the Bud Knight on Twitter and watch this space.”
Glen Calvert, COO at FNATIC says: “Esports is already loved by many around the world and we are thrilled to be partnering with a fun and light-hearted brand like Bud Light to help us raise awareness of this fantastic sport to the masses. The prizes on offer are really exciting for anyone who’s passionate about esports, or indeed anyone who is keen to get involved in this growing community of fans.”
Harry Hesketh, athlete and content creator for Fnatic, says: “When I got approached to work with Bud Light for this campaign it felt like the right fit for me and my fans. Bud Light is a brand that doesn’t take themselves too seriously and it was a lot of fun working on this project and getting to meet the famous Bud Knight. We can’t wait to see who the winner of the competition is so we can welcome them to the team!”
Pick up your limited-edition Bud Light Fnatic packs in supermarkets nationwide.
For more information contact the Bud Light press team at BudLight@3monkeyszeno.com
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Social handles:
Bud Light UK Instagram: @BudLightUK
Bud Knight Twitter: @EsportsKnight
Fnatic Instagram: @Fnatic
About Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I:
Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I is the trading name of AB InBev UK Limited, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ABI) and South Africa (JSE: ANB) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I remains a proud part of AB InBev globally. In the UK, Budweiser Brewing Group employs 1,000 people in our three breweries in Magor, South Wales, Samlesbury, Lancashire and Enfield, North London and in our local headquarters in Central London.
We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. We are proud to offer the UK’s leading premium beer and cider brands, including global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; international brands Bud Light®, Michelob Ultra®, Beck’s®, Leffe®, and Hoegaarden®; and local champions Bass® and Boddingtons®.
We are here to champion Britain’s iconic beer culture, from barley farmers to pubs and retail; we are a founding member of the Portman Group, member of the British Beer and Pub Association and supporter of the Drinkaware Trust. We are also members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Renewable and Sustainability Energy and the All-Party Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group. Our Dream is to bring people together for a better world. Learn more at www.budweiserbrewinggroup.co.uk or on Twitter through @BudBrewingUKI
About FNATIC:
FNATIC is a global esports entertainment brand headquartered in London (UK) focused on seeking out, levelling-up and amplifying esports talent and creators. Founded in 2004, FNATIC reigns as the most successful team of the last decade, winning more than 200 championships across 30 different games. Today, driven by entertainment, FNATIC is the channel through which the most forward-thinking brands communicate with young people – it delivers industry-leading content, experiences and activations through offices and facilities in cities between Los Angeles and Tokyo. FNATIC are the forerunners in competitive mobile gaming – for example, they are the first Tier 1 esports team to launch a presence in India. Pioneers of the intersection of street culture and esports with merch collaborations, FNATIC continues to lead the industry in relation to quality of pro wear and fan apparel. Our pros and creators generate hours of entertainment content, showcasing our global partners to an audience of more than 15 million fans across our social platforms.
For more information visit FNATIC.com
Follow FNATIC on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram