For the past 3 years, MOVEMENT by Michelob ULTRA has brought fun, large-scale wellness festivals to cities across the country connecting fitness communities to consumers with a healthy lifestyle who enjoy beer. MOVEMENT by Michelob ULTRA helped the brand gain credibility in the wellness space and was a hit with consumers across the country, helping to disrupt traditional notions of what well-being is. As plans were put in place to continue the series in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit globally, postponing events and forcing gyms and fitness studios to close. Trainers as well as staff were left jobless while gym goers experienced a huge challenge in maintaining their health and wellness and feared their favorite fitness communities would have to shut down for good.
Michelob ULTRA and its agency Mosaic sought to bring MOVEMENT to consumers at home. Local gyms showed up for guests at the sold-out MOVEMENT by Michelob ULTRA fitness festival, but in 2020, it was now time to give back to those local gyms. Committed to bringing joy into wellness, Michelob ULTRA and Mosaic turned to Telescope Inc. to transform their in-person event to virtual and achieve a number of goals, including:
With the goals of transforming the series MOVEMENT by Michelob ULTRA from an in-person to a virtual event and support a different local gym each week, MOVEMENT Live by Michelob ULTRA was born. By pairing a trainer from each gym with a fitness influencer or celebrities like Scottie Pippen, Kevin Hart and Adriana Lima, the brand invited its audience to hang out with their favorite trainers and celebrities while offering a unique way to stay healthy and move their bodies through these unprecedented times via Facebook and Instagram Live. Each workout was produced remotely by Telescope Inc., simultaneously streaming together trainers and celebrities remotely from various locations all throughout the US. Talents were sent remote live streaming kits that included computers, audio gear, and robo-cams that offsite Directors were able to control in order to ensure the series remained high quality and to never miss an important moment. In addition, to provide a seamless live stream, earpieces as well as teleprompters were also utilized for close communication between hosts throughout the entirety of each live stream event.
Fitness and beer enthusiasts who tuned in to the weekly workouts were able to easily show their support via a virtual tip jar, with all funds matched by Michelob ULTRA and their partner Optimum Nutrition, doubling donations for each local gym. Additionally, featured Venmo or PayPal handles were displayed throughout various moments within the stream ensuring those who joined in mid-stream were aware and could also partake in making a difference. Furthermore, in May when the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the country, Michelob ULTRA pivoted to ensure all future donations went to black-owned gyms, powering entrepreneurship and empowerment.
During the various workouts, at-home viewers were able to interact in real-time by having their comments pulled on-air and were engaged in a variety of polls surrounding the topic of fitness via Telescope Inc.’s interactive Live Studio platform.
To wind down from the intensive at-home workout, viewers around the country could cool down and enjoy a much-deserved Michelob ULTRA beer with the instructor and celebrity guest. Additionally, viewers had the ability to submit questions for trainers and/or celebrities and have them answered on-air during the Q&A Happy Hour segment to enhance direct viewer engagement and interactivity.
Through MOVEMENT Live, Michelob ULTRA achieved several things:
