“We Build Long-Term Cultural Investments, Not Short-Term Activations” — Vineet Sharma,VP-Marketing, AB InBev India

Vineet Sharma is helping shape the future of youth culture marketing in India by blending sport, music, lifestyle, and storytelling into powerful brand experiences. As the driving force behind Budweiser’s cultural playbook in the country, Sharma has been instrumental in building immersive platforms that go beyond traditional advertising, from global music collaborations to the growing partnership between budX and the NBA.

In this conversation, Sharma speaks about Budweiser’s long-term vision for basketball culture in India, the rise of indie creators, the evolution of experiential marketing, and why today’s consumers are looking for brands that feel culturally relevant, not just commercially visible.

Here are edited excepts:

Can you tell us more about the collaboration between budX and the NBA?

So this is the second edition of our partnership in India. The first edition was very successful in Mumbai. Now we are bringing it to New Delhi, supporting our shared mission of sports, lifestyle, and music coming together. As a brand, we have always stood for these values, and this time in Delhi, we have created a lot of excitement with an iconic experience.

At the same time, we are celebrating a global 150-year legacy while bringing that same energy to the forefront through music with budX Labs. It is a great opportunity for young people to explore, discover, and learn new things.

Overall, I believe it is a wonderful opportunity to come together and enjoy a great experience of music, sports, lifestyle, and culture over the next couple of days.

Tell us more about the Budx Labs?

So, this is an initiative we have in India where Budweiser and music have been synonymous for a very long time. It’s not just about global acts like Model and Sensation, Rolling Loud, or Lollapalooza, but also about supporting a lot of local, home-grown talent, which we have always believed in.

budX Labs is another step in that direction, aimed at bringing together masterclasses, workshops, and panels around the world of music. We are hosting amazing artists who will share insights into their iconic music journeys, how they broke through, what their thinking was, and the role of concepts and storytelling.

It’s not just about creating great music, but also about bringing it to life for the world. I think it’s a great opportunity for people to interact, network, and learn from these experiences, while also helping local, home-grown acts progress onto global stages.

Are you looking more at indie creators and subcultures over mainstream stars?

I think it’s always a mix. But I would say indie culture overall is growing. And as a brand that aligns with youth culture in India, we see strong engagement from consumers,India is already the fourth-largest market globally.

Our approach is always to bring global scale while locally customising our strategy. So our endeavour is to bring the best in the world, while also giving a platform to local artists to learn, grow, and take their work to a global audience.

What’s the single biggest shift in AB InBev India’s marketing playbook in 2026?

It is the third year that we have been part of the Creative Marketer of the Year recognition. We are the only company in the history of marketing to achieve this distinction.

The key shift is that we are bringing a mega platform strategy and a unified brand strategy to life across every country globally.

Whether it is cricket, football, music, or basketball, we are activating these platforms at significant scale. These are not just campaigns; they are movements that we are building across different ecosystems, and that is something we are deeply invested in.

Budweiser has done several collaborations, what has been the most exciting one for you so far?

We are proud to be part of this journey. But I am especially proud of what we are building today.

Basketball culture in India is growing, but it is still not fully mainstream. Both Budweiser and the NBA share a common vision of building this culture from the ground up.

We were pioneers in building work around electronic music and hip-hop in India through various partnerships. With our collaboration with the NBA, we aim to bring basketball into the mainstream. We are here for the long term, these are not short-term initiatives for us.

We want to build this year on year. Creating something from scratch always gives a unique sense of excitement, and I believe this can become something truly great.

Are brands now competing more for cultural relevance than just market share?

Look, I would always say we are in the business, so market share and brand numbers are equally important. But the real question is: what drives them?

Today’s audience doesn’t just want to consume brands, they want to experience and live them. There may be other beers in the market that are priced lower, but people still choose differently. And remember, this is a premium product, not a core one.

At the same time, consumers are willing to pay more because they feel Budweiser speaks their language and understands the youth ethos of today.

I believe a brand can succeed only if it builds strong fundamentals while staying culturally relevant. You cannot build a brand just through distribution and trade presence, you also have to build it in people’s minds.

Ultimately, it’s not just about talking about yourself, but about understanding the consumer and shaping your story around them. That, I think, is the real magic.

What can we expect from Budweiser in 2026?

As I said, it’s a strong growth cycle for us. Globally, our 150-year milestone is an iconic moment for the brand. We have had a very strong start to the year, as Budweiser stands for celebration.

We were part of one of the biggest music celebrations with Lollapalooza, and in sport, we deepened our presence in India through cricket, including our partnership with the ICC and several marquee events.

Looking ahead, the celebration continues. We are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup in a year that also marks a 40-year association with the tournament across Mexico and Canada. We are going even bigger with our FIFA World Cup plans and have already released our campaign film, with more activations to follow.

On the music side as well, we continue our association with platforms like Rolling Loud and several international properties. As I mentioned earlier, our intent is never short-term. We aim to give audiences in India more opportunities to celebrate across music, sport, and culture.

Through all these initiatives, we believe we are building a strong brand in India, one that is both a commercial growth engine and deeply loved by consumers. It’s a big year for us.