As the largest global brewer, Belgian multinational drink and brewing company AB InBev manages a portfolio of renowned brands. Looking to promote Mike’s Hard Tea in Canada, a ready-to-serve blend of premium iced tea and vodka with a refreshing lemon taste under the Mike’s brand, AB InBev turned to programmatic digital out-of-home to drive awareness in this new market.
The Objective
The campaign aimed to increase brand awareness and beverage sales in specific LCBO liquor stores across Ontario and Alberta during the key summer months.
To measure the campaign's impact on KPIs like ad recall, brand image, and purchase intention, a brand lift study was launched in collaboration with Broadsign and Happydemics.
The Strategy
Working with iProspect, the DOOH campaign was launched via the Broadsign Ads DSP, running programmatically alongside other media channels like Meta, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitch, Instacart, and more.
Locations
The ads were displayed in key cities across Ontario and Alberta, including Toronto + the GTA, Ottawa, and Edmonton.
Venue Types
The campaign included a mix of indoor and outdoor venues to reach key audiences throughout the day:
- Billboards: 64.7% of impressions
- Subway: 12.2% of impressions
- Bus shelters: 8.8% of impressions
- Malls: 5% of impressions
- Casual dining: 3.8% of impressions
- Sports arenas & clubhouses: 1.8% of impressions
Key Media Partners
- Outfront Canada
- VENDO Media
- Astral
- Cineplex
- All Vision
- Pattison
- Sanford Outdoor
- Captivate
- Neo OOH
- Vertical Impressions
Messaging
To drive in-store sales during the peak summer season, ads within proximity to LCBO locations promoted the brand’s limited-time offer, “Save $2 until August 12.”
The Results
2.6M+ ads were served over a 24-week period, resulting in 31.8M+ total impressions.
Significant ad recall and attribution, surpassing the industry benchmark
- Over half of ad recallers said they saw the ad multiple times.
- +49% lift in attribution, where 58% of ad recallers correctly attributed the ad to Mike’s Hard Lemonade compared to 39% of non-ad recallers.
- Attribution performed +7 points above the industry benchmark.
Increase in purchase consideration, primarily among women
- +41% lift in consideration, where 55% of ad recallers said they would consider trying Mike’s Hard Iced Tea compared to 39% of non-ad recallers.
- 92% of women and 68% of men said they would consider trying the product, successfully reaching a key audience as the brand shifts toward reaching more women consumers.
Boost in brand perception
- +119% lift in positive brand image, where 35% of ad recallers had a positive outlook of the brand compared to 16% of non-ad recallers.