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Sergio Vezza
BEES Engineering VP, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) stands as a global giant in the brewing and beverage industry. Established in 2008 through the merger of Anheuser-Busch and InBev, AB InBev is now the world's leading brewer, boasting a portfolio of around 630 beer brands spanning 150 countries, supported by close to 170,000 employees. Some of their renowned brands include Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's, Castle, Castle Lite, Hoegaarden, and Leffe. Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, AB InBev also operates regional headquarters in key cities like London, São Paulo, Mexico City, and St. Louis.
Supernova Award Category:
The Problem:
Anheuser-Busch InBev found themselves in a vicious cycle of time-consuming data analysis, struggling to turn their vast data resources into actionable insights. Their processes were highly manual, with existing tools that were too rigid and difficult for users to effectively utilize. As a result, generating critical brand reports took up to three weeks and business teams were often waiting on vital insights, severely hindering timely decision-making and competitive responsiveness.
The Solution:
AB InBev had already been leveraging an AI-powered analytics platform called AnswerRocket. With the emergence of generative AI, the two companies worked together to develop a customized AI analytics assistant, called Max, to enable AB InBev's brand teams to get quick answers and insights through a user-friendly, chat-based experience. Additionally, Max automated the assembly of standard quarterly reports, which were previously manually created, ensuring consistent and timely data delivery.
The Results:
Max transformed AB InBev's operations by reducing the quarterly report generation time from three weeks to three days. Marketing and commercial teams are now empowered to self-service answers to ad hoc questions about brand performance and equity, providing them with timely insights needed to make faster, data-driven decisions. This transformation has not only improved operational efficiency but also enhanced AB InBev's competitive edge by enabling more proactive and strategic decision-making.
Metrics:
Before the project:
- Quarterly report generation took up to 3 weeks
- Marketing and commercial teams were heavily reliant on Insights team members for answers to key business questions - answers could take days or weeks to return
- Insights team members were bogged down by the volume of requests from marketing and commercial teams
After the project:
- Quarterly report generation completed in 3 days
- Marketing and commercial teams now able to self-service answers to key business questions on demand
- Insights team members freed up to focus on brand guidance, playing a more consultative role to marketing and commercial teams
Within just 6 months of launching the solution, AB InBev was able to achieve the following:
- Analysis for all beer brands and markets available in Max
- 68 automated brand x market reports per year
- 250+ users across the EUR marketing & commercial community
- 40% productivity gains and 160 working days saved
The Technology:
AnswerRocket's GenAI analytics platform featuring Max, an AI assistant for analytics. The platform is integrated with AB InBev's data warehouse to enable a chat-based experience for exploring, analyzing, and getting insights from enterprise data. Additionally, we developed customized Skills (or analytical apps) to enable Max to perform specialized analyses like brand equity analysis and market share analysis.
Disruptive Factor:
By enabling a GenAI analytics on top of their structured data within months, AB InBev revolutionized its data analysis with Max by automating routine tasks and providing instantaneous insights, significantly departing from their traditional manual processes. This capability enabled a proactive approach to brand management and decision-making, challenging the status quo of the industry. By integrating a user-friendly, chat-based interface, Max democratized data access, allowing more team members to engage with data and derive insights without needing extensive technical skills. The flexibility and speed of Max not only improved operational efficiency but also set a new benchmark for leveraging AI in the beverage industry, positioning AB InBev as a leader in innovative data utilization and strategic decision-making.
Shining Moment:
The defining moment was developing production-ready GenAI analytics assistants, now used by over 300 users globally. This empowered teams to focus on strategic initiatives, driving significant growth in brand equity and market share. The AI-automated reports were indistinguishable from manual ones. Seamless integration into existing workflows ensured smooth adoption and acceptance, key to bringing in these "disruptive" technologies without disrupting users.
About Anheuser-Busch InBev
Based in Leuven, Belgium, Anheuser-Busch InBev dreams big to create a future with more cheers, brewing the best beers with the finest ingredients. Our portfolio includes Budweiser®, Corona®, Stella Artois®, Michelob Ultra®, and local champions like Bud Light®. With 155,000 colleagues in nearly 50 countries, AB InBev reported revenue of 59.4 billion USD in 2023.
