San Miguel gets its moment in the sun
AB InBev’s Budweiser Brewing Group has relaunched its Spanish summer themed campaign for the San Miguel beer brand. But why is this well-timed for Brits and will its latest brand refresh capture more consumer attention? Find out here.
The revival of the San Miguel ‘Spanish Summer, no matter when’ campaign is being launched alongside a new brand identity for the beer across Europe, including its home market, Spain, and the UK.
Wins and losses
In 2024, San Miguel was named the most popular mainstream beer brands available in Britain by YouGov ratings and Google trends data flagging its 61% “favourability score”. The ranking saw the beer brand beat other mainstream brands such as .Corona, Heineken, Stella Artois, Guinness, Peroni, Kronenbourg, Budweiser and Birra Moretti to the top spot. It also showed how Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC)’s multi-million-pound investment into its Spanish lager brand’s presence in the UK the year before had assisted its rise to fame. Despite this, by the summer of 2024, CMBC lost the brand to AB InBev subsidiary Budweiser Brewing Group in a deal with Mahou San Miguel (MSM) to distribute San Miguel in the UK.
The topic of the weather
The revived campaign coincides with the start of British Summer Time, which new research from YouGov has suggested that half of Brits consider as when summer really begins in the UK. The data revealed: 50% of the population in the UK view the clocks going forward as the unofficial start of summer, while six in 10 say lighter evenings improve their mood.
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According to the beer giant, the findings highlight the strong link between longer evenings and increased social occasions, with 57% of consumers saying they are more likely to socialise outside the home, including visiting pubs, bars and restaurants.
Spanish lifestyle
A spokesperson for AB InBev has indicated that the campaign has been “designed to capture the energy and spontaneity associated with Spanish lifestyle” and highlighted that alongside the initiative, “the brand is introducing a new visual identity across Spain and key European markets, including the UK, inspired by San Miguel’s warm Spanish heritage while reinforcing its modern premium positioning”.
The refreshed design will roll out across the UK range from March, offering what the brand owner terms as a way of “enhancing shelf standout in retail and visibility at the bar as the category moves into peak summer trading”.
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