When soccer fans watch the FIFA World Cup this year, Budweiser wants them to let everything—emotions, memories, team spirit, and, of course, beer—pour out.
The Anheuser-Busch InBev beer brand is debuting a new campaign, “Let It Pour,” partnering with soccer superstar Erling Haaland of Norway and former player and manager Jürgen Klopp of Germany.
Both Haaland and Klopp appear in the ad, “Let It Pour,” created by Grey Global. Set to the soundtrack “Feelin’ Alright” by Joe Cocker, the film opens with Klopp sitting in a bar as his pint of Budweiser begins to rumble. “It’s happening again,” he says.
The spot then shows fans from around the world rushing to watch their country’s teams, whether it be in a bar, on the street, or at the stadium, before Haaland scores a goal. It takes a whimsical turn when a fan daydreams about snapping photos with Haaland and his father, former player Alfie-Inge Haaland, in a photo booth.
Even legendary monster Godzilla makes an appearance, celebrating outside a Japanese office building by clutching a Budweiser truck.
“There’s nothing like watching your team play in the World Cup,” Richard Oppy, global president, Premium Company at AB InBev, told ADWEEK. “It happens once every four years and it’s one of those things that when it comes, for 39 days people just lose themselves. They cry. They celebrate. They let all their emotions out. They let it pour.”
“Let It Pour” will run in 40 countries, excluding the U.S., where AB InBev will instead run campaigns from Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois.
A focus on the fans
Budweiser has a long history of centering the fan experience in its World Cup campaigns. In 2022, “Yours to Take” featured fans walking down the players’ tunnel, ready to cheer on their teams. In 2018, “Light Up the World Cup” showed a fleet of drones delivering Budweiser to raucous fans.
“Fans are really at the core of everything we do, and we wanted to tap into their passion, their emotions, and show them celebrating with Budweiser and really letting it pour,” Oppy said.
In selecting Haaland and Klopp, the brand was looking for figures who embody that emotional connection.
“We were looking for someone to narrate this story in the campaign, and someone who was charismatic and known for their passion and emotion,” Oppy said. “Klopp was at the top of our list.”
In Haaland’s case, the fact that he’s a second-generation World Cup player appealed to Budweiser.
“We were talking to Haaland about being the star of the campaign and he mentioned that his dad played in the 1994 World Cup,” Oppy recalled. “We thought it’d be pretty cool if we had Haaland and his father in the campaign together. [Alfie-Inge Haaland] was excited to be part of it with his son because he was a Budweiser fan.”
Merchandise activations
Budweiser is also engaging fans with limited-edition bottles and an exclusive online shop, The Bud Fan Store.
The bottles feature World Cup designs from the past 10 tournaments. When Budweiser announced the bottles on social media, Oppy said fans responded in record numbers, asking where and when they’d be available.
“These designs bring back so many memories for different people,” he said. “For those in Brazil, they’re trying to get the bottle that has the Korea design from 2002, or the USA design from 1994, because that’s where they won the World Cup.”
Fans in China, meanwhile, are targeting the bottle from 2002, the year China qualified for its first World Cup.
The Bud Fan Store will sell other merchandise like hats and clothing, with the Budweiser and World Cup logos. Much like the bottles, Oppy said memorabilia is another way to celebrate the fans and create lifelong World Cup memories.
