Budweiser bestows a beer upon each of the 160 goalkeepers Lionel Messi scored past
You may not be anywhere near the office water cooler right now, but we still want to spotlight the most talked about creative from the brands that should be on your radar. Today, we’re talking about Budweiser’s clever Lionel Messi activation.
Buffon happily shows off his premium Messi Budweiser
In December, famed FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi broke Pele's record by scoring his 644th goal at the club.
To mark the occasion, brand partner Budweiser sent out 644 personalised beers to the supposed victims of these goals – some 120 keepers. Each had a number of the goal and an image of Messi celebrating to salt the wounds.
It also included the text: “This feat is made even more extraordinary given they were scored against the best keepers in the world. We know of no other competitors more worthy of celebrating. Kings aren't made overnight.”
The activation was embraced by some of the goalkeeping greats on, and off, the Budweiser roster, including Gianluigi Buffon and Jan Oblak.
Some keepers received quite the boozy package, with former Athletic Bilbao star Gorka Iraizoz getting 18 and Iker Casillas and Anders Fernandez getting 17 each.
Budweiser worked with ad agency Deutch on the partnership. On signing Messi in September, global vice president of Budweiser Steve Arkley said: “Lionel Messi is a true icon and role model of his generation and for generations to come. His dedication and commitment to his craft reflect the same self-belief that has led Budweiser to become the King of Beers.
"We look forward to working together as partners to continue delivering on our ambition, reminding football fans worldwide that greatness is a journey that is worth the effort and determination.”
This video announced the partnership. Sergio Ramos and Marcelo are just some of the stars also partnered with the King of Beers.
Credit also goes to We Are Social’s video for Adidas marking the occasion.