FCB
AI-powered tennis match that aired in primetime on ESPN caps a superb awards season for the brand and agency
FCB New York wins Sports Emmy for Michelob ULTRA’s “McEnroe vs. McEnroe”
FCB New York and Michelob ULTRA received the 2023 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Digital Innovation from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the groundbreaking feature film “McEnroe vs. McEnroe,” a branded AI activation one-of-a-kind airing primetime on ESPN.
NEW YORK, May 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FCB New York and Michelob ULTRA received the 2023 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Digital Innovation from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the breakthrough feature film ” McEnroe vs. McEnroe,” a one-of-a-kind branded AI activation that aired as a primetime special on ESPN.
Thanks to the combination of AI, Unreal Engine MetaHuman technology, body tracking and a pair of perfectly synchronized robotic arms, “McEnroe vs McEnroe” became the first tennis match in history in which a sports legend was able to take on younger versions of himself in real time. The end result was so impressive that ESPN decided to broadcast it – free to the brand – as a one-hour primetime special in 52 countries. With over 10 million views, “McEnroe vs. McEnroe” has become one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, beating the 2021 NBA Finals.
This win marks the first Sports Emmy for Michelob ULTRA and FCB New York, who throughout their multi-year partnership have pushed the boundaries of technology in innovative ways to enhance the enjoyment of sports. Like in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions prevented fans from attending games in person, and they launched ‘Courtside’, a platform that allowed fans to attend virtually – which included seeing their faces in the stands and chat with people in their “section” – by scanning a Michelob ULTRA bottle.
Michelob ULTRA’s distinct positioning around joy – doubling down on cultural relevance, grabbing people’s attention and reminding them that joy isn’t just an afterthought – has helped the brand become the second biggest beer from the country. They achieved this success despite relentless competition in the category and headwinds for the light beer category, which has been declining 3% to 4% per year since 2013.
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To date, “McEnroe vs. McEnroe” has garnered over 120 media placements, with Sports Illustrated claiming it “could be the future of sports” and Yahoo! praising him for “reinventing sports entertainment”. Since the program launched, organic searches for “Michelob ULTRA” have increased by 95%.
“An idea as ambitious as ‘McEnroe vs. McEnroe’ can only happen when you have that perfect storm of relentless creatives, visionary customers and dedicated partners – all with a Never Finished spirit and a shared belief in the power of creativity as an economic multiplier,” said Michael Aimette, Chief Creative Officer of FCB New York.
“We just can’t thank our customers at Michelob ULTRA enough for shaking hands with us to bring this idea to life and always proving that ‘it’s only worth it if you like it,'” added Emma Armstrong, CEO of FCB New York. .
FCB New York is currently the No. 1 agency in the world according to the recently released One Club Global Ranking, as well as the No. 1 creative agency for effectiveness as named in the WARC Effective 100 list. of the Year by the Clios, as well as Experiential and B2B Agency of the Year by Campaign, and was named to the Contagious Pioneers list of the best and bravest agencies in the world.
“McEnroe vs. McEnroe” swept the 2022/2023 advertising awards season, winning Ad Age’s Tech Innovation of the Year, five Cannes Lions, 15 Clios, 13 ADC Awards and 24 One Show Awards.
About FCB
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, award-winning, integrated marketing communications company with a legacy of creativity and success dating back to 1873.
FCB New York is globally recognized for its use of creativity as an economic multiplier to drive meaningful business results for its clients, which include AB InBev, the FDA, MorningStar Farms, New York Mets and Spotify. In 2023 alone, the agency was named the world’s No. 1 agency in The One Club’s global rankings, voted agency of the year by the Clios, honored as the No. 1 creative agency for effectiveness of WARC, named to the list of the best and bravest agencies in the world, and chosen as experiential and B2B agency of the year by Campaign. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, FCB is part of the Interpublic group of companies (NYSE: IPG). Visit fcb.com or follow @FCBglobal and @fcbnewyork on Instagram.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bad08191-bfbb-4459-b953-11d132d29c8a
CONTACT: Kellie Gleason [email protected]
