We turned Amstel Light into the fastest-growing, most entertaining beer brand on social
In 2019, we rebuilt the brand.
We undertook a full scale renovation of Amstel Light, starting from scratch with a brand that had been dormant for close to a decade.
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Identified New Positioning
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Created a New Campaign
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Developed a Social Strategy
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Selected a New Spokesperson
Our Paid campaign crushed it
WE BUILT for the social Context
6S Approach:
Think “in-feed,” not “TVC.”
Every millisecond counts.
Every message has to connect.
Execution:
Branding up front.
Image tailored for the target & moment.
Simple message.
It set records for Heineken
The context-targeted ads tested higher than any other HUSA social campaign before it and killed it in market.
And then the paid media budget was cut in Early 2020.
Our only option for exposure was to double down on our organic social strategy.
To Build Amstel Light’s Brand Community,
We Focused on Three Key Strategic Priorities:
Passions
I would rather be playing golf and drinking beer with my friends than working and I do not consider that lazy, odd, or wrong.
I love golf culture, its tropes, the occasional groaner, the lore, and the shorthand.
We identified a target and embraced their passions.
Personality
We created a recognizable voice and a clear set of characteristics.
We created posts that sounded like people, not ads.
We found a tonality that worked in tandem with our spokesperson.
We became fluent in the vernacular and customs of our target community.
Performance
We never stopped putting on the best show possible.
Produced as many photos shoots, original videos, and giveaways as needed to keep the content fresh.
Created original content like GIFs and video series that worked natively with how Phil used social.
Worked with influencers and other brands to celebrate major moments with our community.
We Crushed it in 2020
Our strategy drove immediate results. Amstel Light was #1 on Instagram and #2 on Twitter in community growth among the 75 beer brands HUSA tracked. We vastly out-performed the better-funded brands in their portfolio.
we were #1 in community growth in 2021
Amstel Light was #1 in growth on both Instagram and Twitter among the 75 beer brands even without any paid media support. Once again, other Heineken US brands fell behind.
we kept our new fans Highly engaged
Not only did we bring new fans to the brand, but we made sure they right fans and that they stuck with us. Amstel Light crushed RivalIQ’s Alcohol Category benchmarks for engagement rate in 2021.
we made original content with our spokesperson, Phil Mickelson
We Let the Brand Fuel the Conversation
In Phil Mickelson we saw that we had a spokesperson who was known for his smirk, quick wit, and a few trademark phrases & gestures - in other words: he was infinitely GIF-able.
Big Finish proposed the idea of a GIPHY channel to Amstel Light, secured approval from Phil and his team, and worked closely with friends at GIPHY to get the initiative started. We leveraged our Fitness for Friendship shoot to capture Phil performing various reaction shots & gestures and complemented those with TVC excerpts.
Launching in early June, the channel grew to include 63 different branded assets. Between the June launch and the end of 2021 the content had generated an astounding 40 million views - all without any paid media.
Fitness for Friendship was a four-part original video series designed to fit seamlessly into Phil Mickelson’s feed and leverage his talent for physical comedy.
“How-to’s” covered included (Click to Watch):
The series generated over 500K organic views and were loved by fans and the press alike - Golf Digest featured the series in multiple write-ups.
“He’s not quite Peyton Manning, but Mickelson is moving up the list of great athletes with great comedic timing.”
- Alex Myers, Golf Digest
We got fit with phil
Calves Like Phil
The Announcement
Amstel Light invited fans to test their mettle, and their calves, against one another for calf-shaped drinking vessels made in the likeness of Phil Mickelson’s own calves.
Our Winner
Our winner not only showed off great calves but presented them in a very creative manner.
A thank you
We had so many incredible entries that we felt a thank you was in order.
We made the most of moments without him
Masters Week
Celebrated one of the best weeks in golf with influencers and contests tailored to engage the biggest of fans.
April Fools Day
We cut through the noise of a played-out brand holiday to deliver something our fans could experience with us.
We cultivated relationships with big names in golf
We Designed Cool Gear and Developed Cross-Promotions
We did a series of cross-promotions & give-aways with golf brands. Some were with Phil’s sponsors and others were brands we identified as having a similar sensibility - and large social followings.
Big Finish did this as a turn-key process: we established the necessary partnerships, designed gear as needed, secured legal approval for T&C’s and completed the fulfillment of the prizing.
Loudmouth Shorts x Amstel Light
Loudmouth Shorts x Amstel Light
Jones Sports Co x Amstel Light
Jones Sports Co x Amstel Light
Callaway x Amstel Light
Callaway x Amstel Light
Callaway x Amstel Light x Mizzen+Main
Callaway x Amstel Light x Mizzen+Main
MAXIMIZED ACTIVATIONS & SPONSORSHIPS
THE FLOP SHOT CHALLENGE
Big Finish worked with Amstel Light’s Flop Shot Challenge activation team to generate tons of user-generated content for Amstel’s social channels. The FSC was a traveling activation touring the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes showcasing Phil Mickelson’s signature shot.
Throughout the activation, Amstel reposted content from users, inviting others to check out the tour. At the end, Big Finish put together a montage of UGC entries as a thank-you to everyone that participated.
CULTIVATED OTHER INFLUENCERS
It wasn’t all Phil when it came to golf. We partnered with a number of golf’s brightest social stars to help activate around golf events.
In addition to the Masters Week programs, we worked with Samantha Marks on contest launches and amplifying our Flop Shot Challenge.
Amstel Light also brought #GolfTwitter together at Thanksgiving, working with influencers Hally Leadbetter, Amanda Rose, Diane Knox Balas, Jeff Eisenband, Sam Harrop, Adam Fonseca, and Marks to share what they were thankful for in the festive season.
WHAT TYPES OF POSTS WORKED? ALL OF THEM.
Phil Mickelson was in the spotlight as Amstel Light’s spokesperson but his posts only made up a small part of our feed. We outperformed the industry benchmark across all post categories, Phil or not.
Amstel Light engagement rate by Category
WE PUT IN THE WORK TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
Here’s the work we did in 2021 alone:
