• by Erik Oster , April 18, 2024

 Wings and beer are an iconic combo, so it seems fitting that a beer brand would partner with a popular series in which celebrities answer “hot questions” while eating hot wings.

Today, Stella Artois announced an expanded partnership with popular YouTube series “Hot Ones” with the AB-InBev brand named the first official beer sponsor for the show. The deal kicked off with an episode of “Hot Ones” featuring Stella Artois brand ambassador Ludacris being interviewed by host Sean Evans and testing his tolerance for increasingly spicy wings.

“Both Stella Artois and Hot Ones thrive at the convergence of culture and sharing moments over a meal, so investing in this partnership made a lot of sense,” Chris Jones, Anheuser-Busch group vice president of marketing, premium brands, said in a statement. He added  the sponsorship would allow the brand “to be part of the cultural conversation and reach more audiences in bars around the country, where we will continue to reinforce our reputation as one of the highest quality, sessionable beers in the market."

The deal allows Stella Artois to reach a wide audience audience of roughly 1.5 billion YouTube viewers, according to First We Feast, the food culture-focused Buzzfeed affiliate that co-produces “Hot Ones.”  Jones says over half of that audience (around 55%) falls within the brand’s target demographic, while also maintaining a presence in its priority markets.

The sponsorship marks an expansion of the brand’s initial partnership with “Hot Ones,” which began last year at First We Feast’s “Hot Questions Live” event hosted by Sean Evans, which featured Ludacris and other celebrities taking a “Hot Ones” challenge and answering questions, Jones explained.

“After seeing the genuine excitement around the partnership, we knew that doubling down was a no-brainer for this year,” he told Marketing Daily.

The deal will include brand integration in five episodes of the series, as well as custom content. Additionally, Stella Artois and “Hot Ones” will partner on a series of live experiences at venues across the country.

This will culminate with a “Hot Ones” event in Chicago co-hosted by Stella Artois and First We Feast. The brand is being selective in sharing details about the event. According to a release, it will occur at an unspecified “iconic location” in the city, while featuring an “an iconic Stella Artois Global Brand Ambassador” and other, similarly unspecified celebrities. 

One likely candidate for the role is David Beckham, who joined the brand as a global brand ambassador with a campaign kicking off last month. The brand is offering fans a chance to attend the event through a promotional sweepstakes awarding 10 grand prize winners. According to the official rules for entry, the “Hot Ones Live” event is scheduled for the week of July 26. That date also happens to be when the MLS’ Leagues Cup tournament is slated to kick off.