To the Michelob Ultra brand team and the Vancouver sales reps for Labatt - very very well done. Every single bar in Yaletown and most of Granville St was owned all World Cup by Michelob. I know how hard that is because I know a lot of those are hostile to ABInBev, local craft only accounts. Truly exceptional work.
The next best brand activating its World Cup sponsorship was Smirnoff. However, for every 1 banner Smirnoff had put up, Michelob had 10. There was a small presence by Don Julio, almost negligible. Shockingly small presence by Coca Cola. They had some limited edition cans in local stores, but nothing super flashy.
I will say I was very, very, very surprised by how little brand activation and street sampling and experiential marketing campaigns were going on in the Yaletown and Granville Street area during the world cup games. I was out every single day, and I only ran into a handful of brand activations. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity for a brand like Coca-Cola to be giving out cans or samples on the street.