Dive Brief:
- Anheuser Busch’s Lime-A-Rita brand will be an official sponsor of the NFL for the first time, reports Beverage Industry.
- Since women compose 45% of the NFL's fan base, according to a company release, it makes sense for the beer giant to position the brand as a go-to drink for female football enthusiasts. "There is a large cross-over between NFL fans and Lime-A-Rita drinkers, especially in the female demographic,” Renie Anderson, senior vice president of sponsorship and partnerships management for the NFL, said in the release.
- The Lime-A-Rita brand is the first in AB InBev’s portfolio to explicitly target women. The margarita-flavored malt beverage has resonated with women since its introduction five years ago, and its consumer base is still predominately female.
Dive Insight:
The Lime-A-Rita/NFL deal sounds like it could be a touchdown. It's a good way for Anheuser Busch to expand and strengthen its relationship with the NFL beyond the male-targeted Bud Light brand. With women making up nearly half of the NFL’s fan base, it's smart marketing to expose brands and products that appeal to a female audience at and during football games.
Lime-A-Rita is a prime choice for this sponsorship since it has been well-received by female consumers since its launch. Now, the NFL tie-up can build on the brand revamp earlier this year, when AB InBev began marketing Lime-A-Rita as a brand “for women, by women” — highlighting the fact that the marketing team, brewers and agency partners are all women.
It will be interesting to see what Lime-A-Rita does next with the NFL season about to kick off. Beer campaigns typically have been geared toward men, with commercials featuring guys drinking brews and females as mere bystanders.
An NFL partnership can be quite lucrative. When Coors Light gave up its NFL sponsorship in 2011 following the Coors/Miller merger, AB InBev’s Bud Light was quick to swoop in. Bud Light has been the official beer sponsor of the NFL ever since. It’s a deal worth an estimated $50 million a year for the beer brand, along with several other perks. For example, Anheuser Busch has the exclusive rights to use the NFL logo in Bud Light packaging, advertising and on retail displays. Lime-A-Rita should also be able to use the logo in a similar fashion.
While male-oriented brands still dominate NFL sponsorships, some more female-focused CPG brands have broken into the ranks. In an effort to help football fans and their families eat healthy, Dannon became the official yogurt of the NFL in 2015. While Pespi’s NFL sponsorship dates back to 2002, the company’s Quaker division joined the fray in 2012 to become the official hot cereal of the NFL — resonating with female consumers seeking a quick, healthy and nutritious breakfast for their kids.
Although P&G has been teaming with the NFL since 2009 (think Old Spice deodorant and Gillette razors), its Charmin and Febreze brands partnered during last season’s Super Bowl to sponsor the Halftime Bathroom Break to ensure party hosts and TV viewers across the nation were well-stocked. With the NFL set to kick off next week, it will be interesting to see how Lime-A-Rita’s marketing playbook unfolds.