Sponsorship: AB InBev promotes compensation based on sports performance and fan engagement

"Those are legacy (sponsorship) models that were created on a consumer behavior that is no longer there. We need to evolve the model, and as the leaders in the industry, we are pushing for that evolution," said Joao Chueiri, vice-president of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch InBev, to the American business magazine Forbes on 02/04/2018.

AB InBev's brand portfolio includes assets such as Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, and Michelob, and its market share in the US is 45%. The group's sponsorship expenses reached $350m (€332m on 31/12/2016) in the United States in 2016. According to the consulting firm ESP Properties; only PepsiCo spends more in the US market, with $360m/€342m (The Coca-Cola Company is third, with $265m/€251.5m).

AB InBev is promoting a new payment model for sponsored assets, with a lower fixed portion offset by a larger variable component, based on the improved sports performance (play-off qualification, for example) and operational performance (increased crowds and TV audiences, creation of a new platform for fan engagement and/or brand awareness) of the clubs…