2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Bud Light lacked meaning and relevance with their largest growth target (Females 19-26) and was typically seen as “Bro Beer” that people would bring to a party. They knew from research with Gen Z that their generation feels an inherent responsibility to make the world a better place and, while cynical of traditional advertising, they gravitate towards brands that are aligned with their values.

The challenge for Bud Light was to find a way play a more purposeful role tackling the social issues this younger female drinker cared about and create meaning through their #1 passion point, music. Through their research, they unearthed a profound gender imbalance and insight in the music space. In 2019, only five of the top 100 DJs were women and the 10 highest paid DJs were all men. No woman has ever made the list. These shocking statistics were not being discussed by anyone, let alone brands.

Bud Light Canada, a brand focused on inclusivity, recognized the challenges female artists encountered and felt an obligation to take action. The brand concepted, produced and released “Underplayed”, a feature-length documentary film that followed the top female DJs in the world bringing much needed attention to the often ignored subject of gender inequality in the music industry.

Bud Light invested in shining a light on the issue of gender inequality in the music industry through long format storytelling by creating a feature-length documentary film. With this strategy they would be able to entertain and educate their consumers vs interrupt them, while driving awareness for the inequities rampant in the industry.

The 88-minute long film presents an energetic portrait of an industry in desperate need of a change and takes an all encompassing look at the exclusion of women DJs from the electronic music scene, documenting the first hand experiences of producers and artists. The film became the heartbeat of a 360 campaign that would drive deep meaning and purpose for the brand.

Bud Light’s feature length documentary Underplayed was accepted into and embraced by some of the most prestigious and culture-driving film festivals in the world, including the Tribeca Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, where it made its global debut. The film was then acquired and distributed globally by major streaming platforms (Apple, Amazon, Crave) and launched
on International Women’s Day.

Underplayed inspired artists and industry leaders to champion gender equality in the music industry and beyond which will lead to a more diverse pool of role models for future generations. Globally, Underplayed has received over 300M earned media impressions. The release of the film had over 400 media hits with 200 feature stories, including leading arts and entertainment publications like Rolling Stone, Variety, and the Washington Post.

Underplayed sparked an important conversation around gender disparity in music on social media, with over 16.2M impressions culminating from 131 pieces of social content. The trailers for Underplayed promoted on Youtube consistently beat VTR benchmarks by +15% and led to a 33% increase in Bud Light searches.

Credits

Executive Creative Director/Partner - Pete Breton & Dave Douglass
Creative Director & Writer - Neil Blewett
Group Business Head - Matt Holton
Director/Writer - Stacey Lee
Producer - William Crouse
VP of Marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada - Andrew Oosterhuis
VP of Marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada - Todd Allen

Agency
Anomaly Toronto
Executive Creative Director/Partner - Pete Breton & Dave Douglass
Creative Director & Writer - Neil Blewett
CEO & Partner - Franke Rodriguez
President, Managing Director & Partner - Candace Borland
Group Business Head - Matt Holton
Business Director - Dori Adams
Account Supervisor - Kayla Christenson
Account Executive - Jordy Francescangeli
Group Strategy Director - Paul Lipson
Director of Communications Strategy - Alex Avendaño
Head of Production - Janice Bisson
Agency Producers - Nicole Poon, Annya Williams, Frances Smith
Lead Designer - Melissa Zeta
Head of Design - Shawn Lambino
Client
AB InBev/Labatt Breweries of Canada
Bud Light Canada
VP of Marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada - Andrew Oosterhuis
VP of Marketing for Labatt Breweries of Canada - Todd Allen
Director of Marketing for Bud Light Canada - Natalie Lucas
Senior Brand Manager for Bud Light - Kevin De Gruijter
Director of Marketing for Bud Light Canada - Becky Lindsay
Sr. Director for Budweiser & Bud Light - Mike D’Agostini
Production
Director/Writer - Stacey Lee
Producer - William Crouse
DOP - Zoe Simone Yi
Executive Producer - Bud Light Canada
Executive Producer - Julien Christian Lutz
Executive Producer - Taj Critchlow
Editor/Writer - Georgia Dodson
Story Editor - Joe Peeler
Finishing Editor - Anthony Mathile
Music Composer - Kate Simko
Head of Production - Adam Palmer
Production Coordinator - Dean Rosen
Production Coordinator - Charlotte Travers
Production House - Fela
Editing House - Whitehouse Post
PR - Veritas Communications
Media Agency - Vizeum Canada
Film Sales + Distribution - levelFILM INC