"With a belief that “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it,” Michelob ULTRA developed boundary-breaking innovation to enable John McEnroe to face off against his own legacy, and embrace the joy he denied himself as a player. Tennis met science fiction as John McEnroe revisited his career, playing a real match, in the flesh, with a real crowd, against five virtual versions of himself from the past. Artificial Intelligence, Unreal MetaHuman technology, and machine learning created avatar versions of McEnroe from five pivotal career moments. A specially designed court with a particle-mist screen allowed the avatars to appear and play against John.

Every move from Virtual McEnroe was synchronized with an intricate robotic-return system to accurately replicate John’s style of play. McEnroe vs. McEnroe revolutionized the sports experience. Immersing fans in the action and serving up joy like it’s never been seen before.

A select group of fans were able to witness McEnroe vs. McEnroe, live in person, at a specially built tennis event space.

Following the filming of the outdoor event, McEnroe vs. McEnroe was first broadcast on ESPN, a partner synonymous with creating sports culture, and then made available for the following month on ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+.

McEnroe vs. McEnroe has already surpassed all expectations. It’s been talked about in over 30 countries, has a 99% positive social sentiment, and ESPN liked it so much they gave us one hour of free media: showing the inherent cultural relevance and talkability of the idea.

The media reaction has been beyond our expectations. With over 120 media placements, the sentiment is summed up by Sports Illustrated — “This could be the future of sports” — and Yahoo! — “Reinventing Sports Entertainment.”

Importantly, the idea is also working for the brand. Since launch, organic searches for “Michelob ULTRA” have grown by 95%.

And insight from the campaign is paving the way for revolutionary approaches in gaming and entertainment."