Badging isn’t dead: In defence of a sports marketing fundamental Sport Business Sports marketing may have come a long way but let’s stop pretending that brand badging doesn’t matter, says Matt Riches. In modern sports marketing “badging” has become a dirty word, seen as outdated, inefficient, maybe even lazy. “This isn’t a badging exercise,” has become the opening gambit to many a sales pitch. But in the [...]
Fifa casts net as Budweiser Uefa talks throw World Cup contract into doubt Sport Business Fifa has begun exploratory talks with other alcohol companies as a contingency measure in case long-term partner AB InBev, maker of Budweiser, opts against extending its contract as the world governing body’s official beer supplier after next year’s World Cup. AB InBev’s flagship brand Budweiser has been the official World Cup beer since the 1986 [...]
Exclusive: Budweiser to challenge Heineken for Uefa Champions League deal Sport Business Uefa’s long-standing Champions League beer partners, Heineken, are facing competition from Budweiser for the contract to be the competition’s official suppliers from 2027 onwards. City AM has learned that Budweiser’s parent company, AB InBev, are willing to pay Uefa €200m per season, a significant increase on the €120m-a-year they are currently getting from Heineken. Budweiser [...]
Strongbow and Jägermeister social media ads banned for promoting irresponsible drinking September 10, 2025 Social media posts by Strongbow and Jägermeister have been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog for suggesting that alcohol takes priority in life and social settings. Two Jägermeister ads on social media and one Instagram skit promoting a can of strawberry Strongbow – which is owned by Heineken – have been banned by the Advertising [...]
WPP wins Heineken marketing deal amid AI push March 31, 2025 Beer giant Heineken has selected WPP as its global marketing and commerce partner, as it looks to leverage AI to enhance its retail and customer experiences. Under the new agreement, the ad giant will use its AI-powered operating system, WPP Open. Together, both companies will collaborate to optimise in-store activations, retail strategies and various e-commerce [...]
Sport sponsorship: Best deals, who’s investing and 2025 growth January 5, 2025 As 2025 kicks off, the sports sponsorship landscape is brimming with opportunity. New trends are emerging and the environment is ripe for seasoned sponsors to make bold investments promoting new brand offerings. With Premier League clubs preparing for life after gambling sponsors and athlete-driven media platforms gaining traction, the industry is undergoing a transformation that [...]
Heineken’s biggest-ever price rises fail to stop slash in UK profit August 27, 2024 Heineken’s biggest-ever price rises in the UK failed to stop its profit being slashed during its latest financial year as it battled “economic volatility”. The Edinburgh-based division raised its prices in 2023 as it faced “significant inflationary pressure on input costs”, reducing consumer spending, higher labour costs and rising energy bills. According to newly-filed results, [...]
Heineken shares drop on near-£750m China impairment charge July 29, 2024 Heineken has taken a €874m (737m) impairment charge on its investment in China’s largest brewer, leading it into the red and causing shares to drop by seven per cent in early trades. The impairment charge led to a first-half net loss of €95m (£80m) for the brewer, down from profit of €1.1bn (£930m) in the [...]
Premier League signs up Guinness to replace Budweiser in £40m deal June 12, 2024 Guinness saw off competition from Heineken to replace Budweiser.
Cheers to that! Warm weather provides ‘welcome boost’ to UK’s pubs May 13, 2024 The overdue sunny weather this weekend gave Britain's pubs a "welcome boost", leading industry figures have said, as revellers across the country soaked up the sunshine in beer gardens in London and across the country.