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Bud Light fortifies mobile search results with NFL videos

Anheuser-Busch?s Bud Light brand is joining forces with Google?s search function to sponsor National Football League-related content ahead of the fall season in a bid to capture the attention of football fans via second-screen additive experiences on mobile.

When football fans use their mobile or tablet devices to search for the latest statistics or game recaps on Google, they will find official NFL-related videos preceded by content from sponsors such as Bud Light, alongside news items and broadcast times. The material will be presented to consumers in one box atop the Google search results page, enabling users to easily spot the branded content.

?Fans are following football in a totally different way than ever before,? said Lucas Herscovici, vice president of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch, New York. ?They want to feel connected to the game, and that interconnectivity involves more than just the TV screen.

?With the Google Full Season Football program, we?re able to provide football fans with the custom content, data and multi-screen viewing experience they?re looking for before, during and after the game.?

Second-screen?s importance
The importance of marketers leveraging second-screen experiences on mobile or tablet devices to connect with fans during live programming cannot be understated. During last year?s ad:tech New York conference, executives from Bravo, Oxygen and Showtime said that companies creating digital storyboards need to delegate appropriate social and digital content to consumers using second screens along with linear television programming (see story).

Bud Light is ramping up to use its status as the official beer sponsor of the National Football League to its maximum advantage by ensuring that fans who search for content on mobile will receive the chance to view pre-roll advertisements from the beverage brand.

Bud Light is the first marketer to join the Full Season Football program, which will feature material on both Google Search and YouTube. The brand has been increasingly targeting digital channels, as many of its target millennial consumers are active on mobile.

Therefore, football enthusiasts who use their smartphones to look up related content while watching a game or simply thinking about the upcoming season will be privy to a host of advertising from Bud Light, as well as the other brands that sign up to the program, beginning Sept. 10.

Bud Light recognizes that fans frequently use a second screen device while watching television for actions such as checking stats, competing in fantasy football leagues and talking to friends on social media.

Interactivity is paramount for marketers seeking to foster long-lasting relationships with consumers, especially with individuals who are truly passionate about sports.

Google Search is likely an ideal partner for Bud Light to tap, as many consumers use its search engine on a daily basis. Google has also been ramping up its functionalities this summer as mobile search continues to gain traction.

Executives at Google?s Retail Leadership Summit 2015 in July discussed the company?s initiatives for building a more frictionless smartphone shopping experience, including rolling out mobile voice search for shopping and a buy button implemented within advertisements (see story).

Making mobile touchdowns
Bud Light will be developing what it refers to as a ?content factory? model, which will allow the brand to work with 28 sponsored football teams to develop a series of promotional pieces to display before NFL-related YouTube videos.

Bud Light will ensure that content is continually refreshed and rotated, making it easier to engage with fans through the entire season until the Super Bowl. The beer marketer has been working with Google on advertising methods since 2010.

Consumers who visit Bud Light?s mobile-optimized site may also go to the NFL section to view the sponsored NFL teams and upload photos or videos pertinent to them.

The brand has enjoyed a mobile-focused summer, and is well-poised to continue the upward trajectory as fall approaches.

In June, Bud Light celebrated the release of its premier Summer Bucket List report, which looks at millennials? social media usage, by asking fans to upload their seasonal photos onto Twitter and Instagram using the #UpForWhatever hashtag to win an all-inclusive trip (see story).

?We?ve already begun releasing new content this football season and our new NFL team-specific cans have been extremely well received by our fans,? Mr. Herscovici said. ?Pictures of consumers with their team cans using our #MyTeamCan hashtag are bubbling up in social media.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely, editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York