Nominated for the Lloyd's A&B Innovation Prize 2009
The opportunity
20 years ago Beck’s was a relatively new brand entering the already crowded UK bottled beer market. It needed to make its mark. It needed to grab the attention of young urban consumers in bars and nightclubs. Traditionally, beer brands sponsored sports events or rock concerts. Beck’s looked beyond the obvious, beyond the traditional. It turned to art to boost its profile.
Following a policy of ‘Sponsoring the unsponsorable’, Beck’s partnered with the ICA, supporting progressive artists through Beck’s Futures. More recently it has developed Beck’s Fusions, which champions collaborations between artists and musicians.
The impact
Starting with the Beck’s Canvas programme, which invited young, emerging artists to design limited edition labels for its beer bottles, Beck’s has promoted countless new talents such as Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, the Chapman Brothers, and reached audiences of millions. Beck’s partnerships and long-standing associations have been instrumental in shaping the brand and how it communicates with a consumer that constantly demands to be challenged with the fresh experiences the world of contemporary art can offer.
According to Beck’s research, its partnerships in recent years have helped to deliver a significant increase in the number of young consumers for whom Beck’s is their brand of choice.