NEW YORK — Today, Anheuser-Busch and the Big 12 Conference announced Natural Light Seltzer as the Official Hard Seltzer of the Big 12 Conference. The announcement marks the first of its kind for college sports and provides exclusivity nationally in the seltzer category.
The partnership will connect some of the most passionate fans in sports with an increasingly popular beverage category, bringing to life in-game activations, social and digital extensions, and advertising across the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship, the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship, and the Phillips 66 Women’s Basketball Championship.
“The Big 12 welcomes Anheuser-Busch to its sponsorship program,” said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “We are very pleased as part of this sponsorship to work with A-B to help foster a culture of responsible drinking and making every experience with its products a positive one.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Natural Light Seltzer’s launch in late summer, with two flavors: Catalina Lime Mixer and Aloha Beaches. The brand has already seen great response as they continue to reshape the potential of the growing hard seltzer category.
“As a brand that’s synonymous with fun, Natural Light will continue to reshape what the seltzer category can be through this first-of-its-kind partnership,” said Nick Kelly, Head of US Sports Marketing at Anheuser-Busch. “The Big 12 has some of the best fans in college sports and we’re going to bring them that same energy through this partnership in a way that both educates fans about responsible drinking and adds to the gameday experience.”
Anheuser-Busch remains committed to fostering a culture of smart drinking behaviors and going the extra mile to ensure beer drinkers of legal drinking age enjoy its products in a responsible way. Since 1986, Anheuser-Busch has worked with TEAM Coalition to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities across the country.
The Anheuser-Busch relationship was secured by Big 12 Sports Properties, the Learfield IMG College team dedicated to the Conference as its sponsorship rights holder.
About Natural Light
Natural Light was introduced in 1977 as Anheuser-Busch’s first reduced-calorie light beer. Currently the sixth best-selling beer in America, Natural Light is brewed with a blend of premium hops and a combination of malt and corn producing a clean flavor, light body and satisfying refreshment.
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate 12 flagship breweries, 12 craft partners, 14 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities, and have more than 18,000 employees across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry.
From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home.
For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference that encompasses five states with over 40 million people within its geographic footprint. In its 24th year, the Conference has produced over 680 Academic All-America selections and claimed national championship team titles in 17 of its 23 sponsored sports. Its student-athletes and teams have combined for over 660 individual NCAA titles and 63 team national championships. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually under the Big 12 banner. For more information, visit Big12Sports.com and follow the Conference on Facebook (Facebook.com/Big12), Twitter (@Big12Conference) and You Tube (YouTube.com/Big12Conference).