Why is this work relevant for Direct?

As the top-selling German beer in the world, Beck’s beer is a relatively new brand that re-entered the china market in 2019. To differentiate itself from the over-saturated beer market in China, the key message of Beck's beer is straightforward: Beck’s is the equivalent of real German beer. By real-time engaging with consumers who believe in the superior German brewing quality, Beck's wants to inspire them to buy the beer on different beer drinking occasions.

Background

The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship brings Europe's top national football teams together. It’s the first world event that is organized since covid-19. The Euro 2020 has been one of the most popular topics on Weibo, known as China’s version of Twitter. Beer brands are going for the traditional way to guarantee brand exposure, including title and national team sponsorship. Hence, The goal of Beck’s is finding a new way to convey key messages and stand out from all the football campaigns.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Beck’s used a different approach to support the German team, which is not cheering for the German team. It’s the Chinese soccer fans’ way to not cheer for the team they are rooting for. They think the more you cheer for your team, the more ominous that you are actually cursing the team to lose. In other words, higher expectations lead to higher disappointment. Hence, the best way to support team Germany is by wishing them bad luck.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

According to a survey conducted at Coventry University’s Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS), Germany is the most popular international football team in China. Chinese Football fans used to have high expectations for Germany. However, Germany hasn't performed well during the recent football event ( world cup 2018). Furthermore, watching the live football event is one of the biggest drinking occasions for beer. Hence, Beck’s decided to go the opposite way this time: No Expectations, No Pressure! Under this creative idea, Beck's gives the voice to Germany fans and all the other fans. As well as KOLs (influencers) on social media, so that Becks truly co-creates this campaign together with them and responds to the events in real-time.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We invited famous Chinese football star Fan Zhi Yi, who also happens to be known for his merciless trolling, to spark conversation with soccer fans on social media by wishing team Germany BAD LUCK. ON 16th of June, Germany lost the first game. But the loss didn’t stop the fans. In fact, he became an even bigger troll. Buzz exploded on social media among fans and other influencers. On June 20th, the reverse psychology worked - Germany won the second game! We used social media platforms to spread the message of BAD LUCK even further and wider, now as a celebration of the victory.

List the results (30% of vote)

1. + 62% sales growth 2.1000,000+ earned social posts 3.Average engagement rate are 700% higher than direct competitors