But Budweiser wanted to go further. Within the hospitality industry, switching to renewable energy is expensive, which means up to 90% of the industry is run on fossil fuels or nuclear power. But, what if every bar serving Budweiser’s beer was also powered by 100% renewable electricity? And what if Budweiser’s on-trade partners didn’t just see the brewer as a beer provider, but as an energy provider too? 

Which is where The Budweiser Energy Collective comes in. The programme leverages Budweiser’s unique scale to secure renewable electricity at hugely discounted prices. Now, not only is every Budweiser brewed with 100% renewable energy, but it can be enjoyed in venues that are too. 

“This provided the opportunity for us to build our relationships with bars selling more Budweiser, making the world more renewable, and keeping more venues open who are increasingly under pressure from expensive energy bills,” said Todd Allen, Budweiser’s global VP of marketing. 

He added: “We’ve seen what can be achieved when you fuse huge ambition with breakthrough creativity. Not only has it driven impact, but in every market we serve we’ve seen renewed love for our brand as well.”

The Budweiser Energy Collective took the Silver Lion in The Creative Business Transformation Lions, which celebrates the creativity that drives businesses forward and the creative thinking that changes how businesses organise themselves. This was the first time a UK-based agency had won in this category. 

Alex Lewis, co-founder at Revolt, said: “This caps a five year partnership with Budweiser. The Energy Collective shows the role branded creativity can have as an accelerator of impact. It’s a win for the brand, their customers and their drinkers. But most importantly, it’s another nudge towards the actions we all need to take if we’re to mitigate the impacts of the climate emergency.”

Watch Revolt’s film here to learn more about how Budweiser took its people, consumers and trade partners on the renewable energy journey.