In marketing news ahead of the World Cup, the famous football themed marketing campaigns have helped to increase UK sales of flagship brand, Budweiser, in the first quarter - according to drinks maker Anheuser-Busch Inbev (AB-Inbev).

The company has been slowly increasing the World Cup advertising for Budweiser, which is due to be the official beer sponsor at the June event.

Figures from AB-Inbev show that World Cup themed marketing campaigns have helped to increase volumes by 40 per cent in the first three months of this year. This means Budweiser has helped AB-Inbev gain market share in the UK and increase its own beer volumes by 1.3 per cent.

President of AB-Inbev UK, Stuart MacFarlane, said that Budweiser’s growth highlights were “the impact of our strong brand support”. He adds that the boost also offers “a glimpse of what’s to come as we head into the World Cup season” and states that the official World Cup beer “has traditionally outperformed its competitors.”

Ab-Inbev also owns the Beck’s and Stella Artois brands says revenue has increased by 1.9 per cent to £5.5 billion in the first quarter. Sales and marketing spend increased by 4.8 per cent to £700 million, which the company says is down to the global ‘Budweiser United’ campaign, launched ahead of the World Cup. The drinks producer say the marketing investment will mean they will make a profit in the second quarter.

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