Labatt and hockey are a perfect pair, but this year’s season has looked a little different, with restrictions keeping sports fans at home. Now, the Buffalo-based beer brand is giving Sabres fans a front row seat to the action right in their living rooms with a new augmented reality (AR) experience.

Labatt USA has partnered with Snapchat to bring the jumbotron to life at home and allow fans to play a virtual shootout skills game across four markets.

Sabres fans now scan 30-packs of Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light using Snapchat to trigger a Marker Lens experience where a virtual arena unfolds from the box and team highlights begin playing on the virtual jumbotron. This activation brings hockey to life right on Labatt packaging.

In addition to the first of its kind Marker Lens experience, Labatt USA has also launched a Selfie and Gamified World Lens on Snapchat in Buffalo, featuring custom AR Sabres jerseys that fans can “try on” and share snaps of themselves repping their team. When Snapchatters flip the camera to worldview, they are taken to the Sabres’ arena where they can play a shootout skills game as a player from their team.

The AR experiences are available to all Snapchatters 21+ across four markets, including Buffalo, and offer hockey and Labatt fans on Snapchat a way to root for their team and experience the arena environment from the safety of their homes with their favorite beer.

How it works:

  • Thousands of cases of Labatt USA beer in the respective markets include a Snapcode that can be scanned to unlock the Lens experience.
  • After scanning the Snapcode, Snapchatters can point the camera at the beer box to open up their team’s virtual arena.
  • Snap users across the four select markets can also access the Selfie and Gamified World Lens in the app to “wear” their team’s jersey and play a virtual shootout skills game.

“Labatt and hockey go hand-in-hand and we know our fans right now are celebrating the return of Sabres games. We are thrilled to partner with Snapchat and four professional teams on this brand-new AR experience, connecting Labatt fans to their favorite beer and their favorite game in an entirely new way.”

— Jaime Polisoto, Labatt brand manager

“Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light have been synonymous with Sabres hockey for decades.  As we celebrate the return of hockey this year, we are proud to work with our partners at Labatt as they bring exclusive AR experiences to our fans. Our fans will connect with Labatt and the Buffalo Sabres as a Labatt Blue pack turns into a hockey arena from the comforts of their living room.”

— Dan Misko, Sr. Vice President of Business Development Pegula Sports and Entertainment

“This truly is a best-in-class example of how forward-thinking brands have adapted to safely and creatively bring memorable experiences to consumers using AR on Snapchat. What better way to ring in the new hockey season than with a never-before-seen transformation from a Labatt Blue pack to a hockey arena from the comfort of your living room?”

— Matthew Shore, Creative Strategy Lead, Snap Inc.

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