The head of Anheuser-Busch InBev has added some colour to the brewer’s choice of Corona as the brand to lead on its sponsorship arrangement with the Olympic Games.
Earlier today, the brewer jointly announced that Corona Cero, Corona’s zero-ABV extension, will front the ‘official partner’ activation that runs to 2028. Corona sits alongside Budweiser, Stella Artois and Michelob Ultra in AB InBev’s ‘global brands’ portfolio.
Answering a question from Global Drinks Intel at today’s signing in London of the deal with the International Olympic Committee, Michel Doukeris described Corona as “the most global brand that we have in the company,” despite Constellation Brands’ ownership of the brand in the US. “This is a global partnership,” Doukeris said. “Today, Corona is available in over 180 countries, so it makes sense for us to go with the brand that we have the highest reach with.”
Over in the US, where AB InBev had to offload the former Grupo Modelo-owned brands, including Corona, to bypass monopoly concerns 11 years ago, the group will sponsor the country’s Olympics team with Michelob Ultra, again to 2028.
“Michelob Ultra is a superior light beer that supports an active lifestyle,” said Doukeris today. The brand has been very intrinsically related to sports in the US since its launch.”
On the no-alcohol segment of the beer category, Doukeris expressed optimism about its future performance. “Zero [ABV] is a segment that’s developing very well,” he said. “It’s growing ahead of the wider category, which is also growing globally.
“The really good thing for beer is that 60% of the volume of zero is incremental to the category. As the leading company in this industry, we want to invest to lead but also to grow the category. Then, we can all enjoy the benefits of this growth.
“We want to make sure our investments are aligned with the direction that we’ve been communicating,” he continued. “We want to offer not only more choice to consumers, but we also want to invest in those brands that we’re offering, so that consumers can engage with them in more occasions.”
Corona Cero, which debuted in Europe in mid-2022, will be the lead brand in the partnership during this year’s summer games in Paris, with the arrangement also covering the Winter Olympics and Paralympics up to and including the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in four years time.
