AB InBev | Cristal Beer | 2016-2018 | Football Strategic Communication Platform

Between 2016 and 2017, Cristal had been repositioned from a distant national icon to a brand rooted in everyday closeness: “Bring people together to strengthen Peruvian barrios (neighbourhoods).”

The barrio was redefined as the brand’s cultural code — resilience, solidarity, and shared pride. However, the World Cup qualifiers demanded something more substantial: to prove that these values could unite not just local communities, but the entire nation in its most emotional arena.

Two fundamental tensions shaped the challenge:

The Logistics Problem For every away match in Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and New Zealand, fans faced prohibitive costs and complex logistics. The Peruvian presence in the stands was minimal, often invisible. A nation’s voice was silenced by geography and budget.

The Hope Problem Peru had been waiting 36 years to qualify for a World Cup. Hope never fully died, but it was fragile — constantly questioned, often mocked, always under pressure. The qualifiers were not just a sporting journey, they were a cultural test of belief: could Peru still dream collectively after decades of frustration?

The risk: Cristal’s new purpose — uniting communities — could collapse if it failed to translate into this football reality. The opportunity: If the brand could carry fans’ presence and belief across borders, it would prove that “Unidos Podemos” was more than an idea. It was a force capable of overcoming distance, doubt, and time.

Cultural insight: In Peruvian football, fans see themselves as the “12th player”. Their aliento (cheer) is not symbolic — it is believed to materially change the team’s chances.

Behavioural insight: When fans cannot be present, they look for hacks to project themselves into the game — chants broadcast, rituals performed abroad, visual codes worn by strangers.

Strategic opportunity: Transform absence into presence, and doubt into collective belief.

Los 11 del Aliento (The 11 Cheers). A multi-year football platform under the “Unidos Podemos” umbrella.

Its mission: to take the Peruvian “aliento” everywhere the team played, overcoming logistics, distance, and decades of doubt.

Pre-match: build anticipation and export the fans’ pride.

During: amplify chants and rituals so that the team felt the support.

Post-match: transform rivalries and moments of tension into renewed collective energy.

A red-and-white kit so attractive that locals wore it, turning the stadium into Peru’s home turf.

Most importantly: Cristal was no longer just a sponsor — it became the voice of 32 million Peruvians. The campaign turned logistical absence and decades of fragile hope into a unifying force. Together, Peru qualified for a World Cup after 36 years — and Cristal was culturally inseparable from that historic moment.