The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2022–2023
Michelob ULTRA made John McEnroe play AI versions of himself, live on ESPN
Michelob ULTRA used AI and robots to make McEnroe play his younger selves, and ESPN aired it free — 10m+ views, a 95% search lift and a Sports Emmy.
Michelob ULTRA (AB InBev) · FCB New York
the move
Michelob ULTRA's challenge was to own a sports moment without simply buying a big media slot next to one.
FCB New York put AI, Unreal Engine MetaHuman avatars, body tracking and two synchronised robotic arms together to create the first tennis match in which a legend took on younger versions of himself in real time: John McEnroe versus machine recreations of his own past, broadcast globally.
It worked so well that ESPN aired it free of charge to the brand as an hour-long primetime special across 52 countries — more than 10 million views, beating the 2021 NBA Finals — with 120+ media placements, a 95% lift in organic searches for Michelob ULTRA, and a Sports Emmy.
why it works
- The event was genuinely new, so an outsider network chose to broadcast it rather than being paid to.
- It let the brand's tennis-McEnroe equity carry a story instead of the usual product shots.
- The production itself — AI, robots, avatars — was the news, earning coverage beyond the airtime.
- Airlining a free special turned the brand from advertiser to broadcaster.
what transfers
The cheapest media is content a network chooses to broadcast. When your brand can build something people genuinely want to watch, the buy becomes a gift and the airtime costs nothing.
what came after
'McEnroe vs McEnroe' collected a Sports Emmy, 10 One Show Gold Pencils (the most of any entry that year), five Cannes Lions, 15 Clios and Ad Age's Tech Innovation of the Year, and was cited as the moment sports AI went mainstream — proof the prize was the spectacle, not the screen time the brand bought.
references
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