CASE STUDY
AB InBev
Shaping the vision for a holistic and forward-looking ESG strategy
Challenge
After defining new sustainability commitments, kickstarting various ESG initiatives and building a strong team to further progress, AB InBev needed to develop a vision for its holistic and forward-looking agenda. Without a unifying ambition, ESG would remain a “nice to do” rather than a critical component in the corporate strategy. AB InBev called upon Prophet to help shape a narrative that captured and amplified its bold mission to “Dream Big for a Future with More Cheers.”
Solutions
Prophet’s multidisciplinary teams started with a 4-week sprint, conducting a workshop to define the scope and depth of the work. In their conversations with the AB InBev team, leaders shared commercial goals and key themes for prioritization, and their linkages to brand purpose.
Our team then performed an internal audit of AB InBev’s current sustainability programs, in collaboration with subject matter experts, to develop a deep understanding of results to date. Next, we looked outwards, auditing other category-leading peers and reflected on the UN Sustainable Development Goals to extract key themes, define issues and opportunities in the market and establish eight strategic tentpoles for the narrative. We reviewed our findings with the AB InBev team and refined them with our “where to play” and “how to win” framework.
With these considerations in mind, Prophet delivered a cohesive and impactful narrative for the client centered around a unified, ESG-focused purpose. The narrative was translated into creative copy, visual design assets, narrative video and a brand voice toolkit to effectively bring its story to market. And to ensure that ESG touched every part of the corporate strategy, we developed a robust governance and oversight model for future work.
Results
The work developed by Prophet captured a bold sustainability vision and ambition that is currently being used to guide internal company behaviors and external go-to-market priorities for AB InBev’s ESG focus themes: “Local, Natural, and Inclusive.” In bringing these issues to the core of its work, AB InBev continues to strive for a more sustainable, equitable and profitable world.
And, in 2022, our work was awarded Silver for Best Brand Development Project to Reflect a Change in Mission, Values or Positioning in the North America Transform Awards.