When Jackie Robinson's birthday began to approach, director Spike Lee and Budweiser decided to team up to celebrate the event with a season-long campaign. This campaign set out to recognize his accomplishments both on and off the field, beginning with a short film. Budweiser joined Isobar and Vizeum for creative and media strategy, and Spike Lee, 40 Acres, and Taking Over for production. Budweiser reportedly has been looking to work with Spike Lee for a long time, but it had to be the right moment, and the right story. Spike Lee is a huge Jackie Robinson fan and a close friend of the family, and on this project, was very excited to start shooting.
The film, called "Impact," ended up being three minutes long, with a one-minute version condensed to play in ballparks as a commercial. Robinson decided to have Robinson's daughter narrate the short film, as it fades in and out of black in white. It depicts Jackie himself wearing the 42 on his back, walking onto the field for the first time in 1947, and recreations of people gathering at bars to watch it.
So how does Budweiser fit into all of this. In this short film, the brand put signs up in the ballpark depicted, as well as large neon Budweiser signs in the bars where the recreated crowds watched the event (I shouldn't need to explain what everyone in the film was drinking). Budweiser additionally made an apparent commitment to make sure that a Jackie Robinson Museum opens by the end of this year, and promised that 42 cents made from every Jackie Robinson Budweiser bottle would be generously given to the Jackie Robinson Foundation at the end of the season.
In my opinion, Budweiser played this partner beautifully. Their product is sold at every baseball stadium around the nation, across the world, and have tapped into the memory and recognition of an event that an enormous chunk of their consumers can get behind and appreciate. Their decision to look to Spike Lee for a short film to market this campaign allowed for them to highlight their logo, beer, and what they stand for, while being subtle in their involvement; to not have the film seem like a Budweiser commercial. Their donations to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and commitment to help open the museum prove them to be a socially conscious brand, and it is great to see them backing this partnership by sharing profits, rather than simply slapping their name on a landmark event.
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