We’re AB InBev, brewer of some of the world’s best beers, like Stella Artois, Corona and our American brand Budweiser. Read on to find out how the Italian Beck’s brand and marketing team supported our consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Beck's Cash Back initiative launched in Italy in June with the slogan: "You relax, Beck's takes care of the beer". This initiative allows anyone who buys at least 10 Euros worth of Beck's in any store in Italy to load the receipt onto an online portal and receive a full refund.  

"At this difficult time, we wanted to give a positive message, inviting people to relax and focus on what makes them feel good, and at the same time offer financial support," explains Karina, Brand Manager Stella Artois, Beck's & TSU Italy.   

"We didn't know if the limitations imposed in March and April would continue, what would be right to tell the consumer and to communicate, and how best to do that" recalls Francesco Malandrino, In-Home & Category Manager Trade Marketing. "Talking about social lives at a time when social distancing must be maintained is not easy. We collaborated with other teams, whose help was very valuable: it involved a constant review of the wording of the message so that it was relevant, unambiguous, and could attract consumers' attention".   

"With a product like beer where socializing is fundamental, it was difficult, but at the same time exciting, to find the right words to use so that the initiative was relevant to the consumer, while being sensitive to the situation," Karina adds.   

"In the end, we managed to give the right message", confirms Francesco Malandrino, "You relax, Beck's takes care of the beer."   

Beck's Cash Back is an all-Italian activation and it’s been a success. The team have received requests from AB InBev colleagues in other countries to learn how it worked. And what were the best practices the team shared? 

"I start from the bottom, from the raw material" Francesca Simeone, Procurement Specialist. "Although our suppliers were also facing a difficult time, their cooperation, together with the experience of the teams in the field, helped us a lot to complete the project within the timeframe.”    

"The more we can create this climate of collaboration, the more results we achieve" confirms Karina.     

"I bring home the ability to adapt to circumstances," adds Francesco Smolari, "There will always be unforeseen ones. We must always be able to adapt. All the departments involved must be aware of the changes as they occur."   

"Even though we have sometimes felt the time pressure, being part of a well-managed process in which everyone cooperates, allows us to achieve a much higher quality than the final result," agrees Francesco Malandrino.

Finally, "we must never divert attention from the buying habits of the end consumer," adds Francesca. "Consumers themselves have been able to adapt to this very rapid change in habits by turning to online shopping and that's why we included it in our initiative.”   

 "Concerning our estimated entry of rewarded consumers, on the 3rd week after the launch, we have recorded an additional 17% of registered consumers" confirms Francesco Malandrino. "If we continue with this trend, we could reach over 120% of the participation, which means that we have been able to involve consumers and give them one more reason to enjoy a Beck's". 

We are here for the beer and we brew it for our consumers who love it so much. With a great team effort and a will to help, we used our resources to support the local community. We would like to shout out the team for a fantastic job!