ARCHIVES: This is legacy content from before Marketing Dive acquired Mobile Marketer in early 2017. Some information, such as publication dates, may not have migrated over. Check out the new Marketing Dive site for the latest marketing news.

Budweiser brings live sports connectivity to fruition via mobile ad campaign

Budweiser created a cross-platform in-application advertising program, pushing its Bar Finder campaign to sports enthusiasts in the United States and Canada.

The ads ran within Canadian sports publisher ScoreMobile?s smartphone applications for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. The campaign launched in the midst of all of the South Africa 2010 Olympics excitement, positioning Bar Finder for ScoreMobile as the new, pocket-size, social coordinator for sports fans.

?Recognizing that Budweiser drinkers are sports fanatics, we wanted to provide them with the ability to seek out and enjoy the greatest sports bars across Canada where they can cheer on their home team while enjoying the king of beers,? said Ben Seaton, Toronto-based marketing manager for Canada at Budweiser.

?By teaming up with ScoreMobile, we're aligning ourselves with a truly credible sports content provider, delivering an innovative digital solution that resonates strongly with our increasingly connected drinker,? he said.

Score Media is a media company that delivers interactive sports entertainment.

Bar Finder for ScoreMobile
An extension of The Score?s leading free mobile sports application, Bar Finder for ScoreMobile is a category-first that pairs sports television listings with location-based information.

The experience gives users access to TV listings for live sporting events on all major networks, maps and distances to local bars across Canada where the games are available for viewing, highlighting bars participating in seasonal promotions.

All of these features are available by simply downloading the latest version of ScoreMobile on either iPhone, Android or BlackBerry smartphones.

With more than 50 million monthly page views and more than three and a half-million downloads to date, ScoreMobile provides Budweiser?s Bar Finder with reach. 

Campaign details
For Budweiser, ScoreMobile developed a functionality to sit prominently within its mobile application, ScoreMobile.

The Bar Finder offers users a complete, up-to-date listing of licensees within a user?s current area and information on the games being carried that day.

Further, valuable information on specials and promotions is also easily available within the application. 

All of these information sources working in tandem provide consumers with a resource for linking the two things they love: sports and socializing. 

Budeweiser is targeting males who are legal drinking age in Canada, ages 19-29.

Budweiser ran 300x50 mobile leaderboards, created by Brandsell + Co.

When consumers clicked on the ad, they were taken to an app-within-an-app experience.

?One of the great opportunities that theScore?s Bar Finder affords is the ability to be very specific to each account, so the specials and promotions that were highlighted varied significantly based upon the partner?s preference, resulting in customized and relevant messaging, which is of significant value to our accounts and customers across Canada,? Mr. Seaton said.

Dan Butcher reported for this story.

Final Take
Giselle Tsirulnik is senior editor on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily