KING OF FEARS

TitleKING OF FEARS
BrandANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV
Product / ServiceBUDWEISER
CategoryA09. Excellence in Music Video
EntrantCAA MARKETING Los Angeles, USA
Idea Creation CAA MARKETING Los Angeles, USA
Production PRETTY BIRD Culver City, USA
Additional Company CUT + RUN Santa Monica, USA
Additional Company 2 AB INBEV New York, USA
Additional Company 3 BARKING OWL Los Angeles, USA
Additional Company 4 NTROPIC Los Angeles, USA

Credits

Name Company Position
Fleur Fortuné Pretty Bird Director
Kerstin Emhoff Pretty Bird Executive Producer
Jonathan Wang Pretty Bird Producer
Gosta Reiland Pretty Bird Director of Photography
Sean Fazende Cut & Run Editor
Emilie Talermo Cut & Run Producer
Michelle Eskin Cut & Run Managing Director
Amburr Farls Cut & Run Executive Producer
Michael Bennett Ntropic Director of Business Development / EP
Michelle Hammond Ntropic Executive Producer
Ron Moon Ntropic Head of Production
Nate Robinson Ntropic Executive Creative Director
Simon Mowbray Ntropic Creative Director / Flame
James McCarthy Ntropic Art Director / CG
Kirsten Collabolletta Ntropic Producer
Marshall Plante Ntropic Colorist
Jerome Knight Ntropic Conform
Kelly Bayett Barking Owl Creative Director/Partner
Ashley Benton Barking Owl Producer
Morgan Johnson Barking Owl Sound Designer
Patrick Navarre Barking Owl Mixer
Kehlani Parrish Atlantic Records Singer/Songwriter
Ryan Tedder Interscope Records/Columbia Records Singer-songwriter
Noel Zancanella  Sonom Records Songwriter
Brent Kutzle Columbia/Interscope Records musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer
Jeremy Coleman (J Mike) Atlantic Records Producer
Nirana Singh Barking Owl Sound Design Assistant
Matt Keith Barking Owl Mix Assistant

The Campaign

We created a music video that celebrates the individuality and self-expression of Halloween while seeding the rituals of drinking “Bloodweiser” and wearing the Budweiser Clydesdale mask during pub crawls throughout October. The unbranded music video follows Halloween revelers from dusk until dawn. A red beer ("Bloodweiser") acts as the catalyst that drives people to wear the horse mask, gather with friends, and summon a mythical creature; the half man/half horse known as the “King of Fears” - a metaphor for the emergence of one’s true self. The soundtrack for the video was co-written by American pop-star Kehlani (known for her haunting music style) and Grammy Award-winner Ryan Tedder (frontman of OneRepublic). The music video served as the inspiration for a live experience that launched across China, Chile, and Russia. Digital teasers, TVC’s, print, and OOH tied the entire campaign together.

Creative Execution

We launched a three week, proximity based, 360-degree campaign partnering with China to introduce the global program. This initiative included a signature event in China and pop-up bars in 12 cities. The music video content and cutdowns aired throughout China and at bars, KTVs, and in cinemas. Assets from the video were used in OOH and retail to drive sales. The events then spread to Chile and Russia, widening Budweiser’s consideration in emerging markets.

The music video and signature events made a tremendous impact on brand health and reached a massive amount of people. Trendsetting brand metrics went up nine points. Differentiation was up fourteen points. Twenty-six million views were garnered, along with 4.5 billion impressions. Most important, Budweiser saw an increased volume share of 11%.

This work is the music video that debuted the song, "Touch," written and performed by American pop star, Kehlani. Award-winning music video director Fleur Fortuné – who has created videos for Travis Scott, Drake, M83, Justice, and more – directed the video. Grammy Award-winner Ryan Tedder, frontman of OneRepublic, co-wrote and co-produced the song. We worked directly with the artists and their label to tailor the song to our mutual creative vision, resulting in a true partnership that tapped into the power of music to transcend cultural boundaries and captivate audiences on a global level.

We identified Halloween as the perfect cultural moment to create a new drinking occasion. Relatively new in parts of the globe, Halloween is seen as a time that liberates, empowers, and fuels possibility. Similarly, our consumer was seeking out no-pressure occasions to experience life on their terms. Halloween connected with our customer and our brand values of freedom, authenticity, and ambition. However, to reach a global audience, we needed to communicate in a universal language. Music, more than any form of media, resonates globally. Music plays a vital role in bars, clubs, and KTVs – places we want our consumers on Halloween night. That’s why we created a music video. The visual nature of music videos allowed us to introduce Bloodweiser and the Budweiser Clydesdale Halloween masks authentically. The music talent helped create a real cultural moment that inspired a premium Halloween experience, unlike anything our target had seen.