Global Fútbol

Fans can expect to find the star players of Spanish football on packs of Budweiser this season, with the world’s most valuable beer brand having sealed a multi-year partnership with LaLiga.

Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) global brand, has been involved in football since 1986 and has been a long-time partner of the FIFA World Cup as well as football leagues and national teams worldwide. Now, the beer brand has aligned itself with LaLiga to bring more celebratory moments to Spanish football.

As the 2019/20 season gets under way, football fans around the world can look forward to a number of new initiatives and experiences thanks to the alliance. Budweiser has launched its global ‘Be A King’ campaign which intends to bring supporters closer to star players by creating behind-the-scenes content that will be available throughout the season. There will also be prize giveaways and exclusive viewing parties available for fans who engage with this content.

From a retail side there will be new packaging featuring a minimum of seven LaLiga players, while the LaLiga Santander trophy will be present on beer bottles and cans. Another new aspect of this collaboration is the ‘King of the Match’ award, the brand’s version of the ‘man of the match’ award which is decided at the end of each game.

“We are passionate about football and so are our consumers, so we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the sport, the players and, most importantly, the fans,” said Pedro Earp, Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev. “These partnerships will allow us to further connect with key consumers and football fans across the globe.”

Joint partnerships across five continents will see LaLiga and Budweiser launch campaigns in more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, India, Chile and Nigeria. This initiative will give Budweiser and LaLiga more international presence by allying their brands.

Speaking about the collaboration, LaLiga President Javier Tebas said: “We're committed to growing the passion for football around the world. This historic partnership with Budweiser will only add to the growing excitement and anticipation for this year’s season and we’re thrilled to have them as partners.”

Óscar Mayo, Head of International Development at LaLiga, is similarly enthused about the opportunities this association will bring.

“Budweiser has a complete proposal and I am impressed by it,” Mayo stated. “It was quickly clear that this was a good fit. It is a pleasure to work with Budweiser, which is number one in the market. There is a great crossover in our global markets.”

As well as partnering with LaLiga, Budweiser is similarly collaborating with the English Premier League. For Mayo, it says a lot about LaLiga’s global rise that such a prestigious sponsor considers the Spanish league on an equal footing with the top division in England.

“Budweiser is treating both brands equally and that is a success as six to eight years ago you wouldn´t have seen LaLiga alongside the Premier League,” Mayo explained.

For LaLiga, this sponsorship agreement represents much more than revenue. The competition is working with respected and attractive brands that improve visibility for both the brands and the league and Spanish clubs, as is the case with other partners such as LiveScore, Renfe, Unilever, PUMA and EA Sports. As LaLiga President Tebas noted: “The global visibility of Spanish clubs will be strengthened thanks to this agreement.”