Budweiser celebrates Messi’s journey in murals, special edition bottles

The brand has unveiled a series of murals across locations in Mumbai (Chapel Road and Bandra), and New Delhi (Hauz Khas Village).

Budweiser 0.0 has launched of a 360-degree campaign to celebrate top Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s journey. To kick off the campaign, Budweiser 0.0 has launched special edition custom-designed Lionel Messi bottles, along with a digital film titled ‘Greatness is Brewed Over Nights’.

In addition, the brand has unveiled a series of murals at iconic locations in Mumbai (Chapel Road and Bandra), and Delhi (Hauz Khas Village). The murals spotlight Messi’s humble beginnings as a 14-year-old boy from Rosario (in Argentina), his 20 years and counting with one club (Spanish club Barcelona) and his ascent to become the ‘King of Football’.

To engage the football community in India, Budweiser 0.0 will host a virtual walking tour called ‘The Pilgrimage’ in Mumbai and on-ground in Delhi. Keeping in mind the current COVID-19 situation, the walking tour will be facilitated in compliance with stringent safety measures. The tours will be helmed by influencers like Sakshi Malik, Pryanca Talukdar, Jake Sitlani, Nisha Yogini, Yukti Arora, among others, who will guide fans through the murals.

Commenting on the efforts, Vineet Sharma, vice president - marketing and new business development, South Asia, AB InBev, said, “Budweiser has a long association with football, and we are extremely proud to launch this campaign to celebrate Lionel Messi’s dedication and commitment to the game.”

The murals have been crafted and executed by Delhi-based agency, Animal. Kunel Gaur, co-founder and creative director of Animal, said, “The larger than life murals in Delhi and Mumbai commemorate the different phases in Messi’s successful and globally celebrated career.”

“We collaborated with designers who’re themselves fans of Messi and the game to illustrate his career right from his first rendezvous with the game at age four to his 644th goal, breaking (Brazilian legend) ) Pele’s record,” Gaur added.

An AR filter will be also be activated on Instagram that will provide football enthusiasts a visual representation of Messi’s life journey. Budweiser has partnered with Indiefolio, an online network of creative professionals, for a month-long challenge to crowdsource digital renditions of artwork that celebrate ‘King Leo’. Conducted on Instagram, select entries will be printed on exclusive Budweiser Messi merchandise, with a certain percentage of the sales garnered through them provided to the artists themselves.