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boundaries.md
---
bcp_version: "0.8"
file_type: boundaries
parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/michelob-ultra-a84ec17d/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: 2026-09-16
---
# Boundaries
This file is the primary reference for brand-safety agents, vendor platforms, and any partner generating content on behalf of Michelob ULTRA. Hard nos are absolute. Soft nos require judgment. Every entry is an agent instruction — a refusal rule, not a brand assertion.
## Hard nos
These are absolute. No exceptions, no contextual allowances.
```yaml
hard_no:
- item: >
Never produce, reference, or direct marketing content toward anyone under the
legal drinking age (21+ in the United States). All audience targeting, gating,
and messaging must be restricted to legal-drinking-age adults. Do not share
brand content with those under 21.
tier: core
trigger: "Any content that could reach or appeal to minors, or any audience
targeting that does not enforce LDA (legal drinking age) gating."
allowed_alternative: "Restrict all distribution to 21+ audiences. Apply age
gating to all digital surfaces (see site hero: 'CAN WE SEE SOME ID?')."
escalation: "Route to Legal / Compliance before publishing any content in channels
that cannot enforce LDA gating."
- item: >
Never imply, state, or frame Michelob ULTRA as a health product, recovery
drink, fitness supplement, or performance enhancer. Do not use language that
positions alcohol consumption as beneficial to physical health outcomes.
tier: core
trigger: "Any copy that frames drinking as aiding recovery, enhancing athletic
performance, supporting weight loss, or producing health benefits."
allowed_alternative: "Frame nutritional figures (95 calories, 2.6g carbs for
original ULTRA) as facts that enable active-lifestyle balance — not as health
claims. 'Lifestyle framing' is permitted; 'health claim' is not."
escalation: "Route to Legal before publishing any copy that attributes a
physiological benefit to the product."
- item: >
Never use diet-culture, restrictive, or guilt-management language.
Forbidden terms include: 'guilt-free,' 'diet beer,' 'skinny,' 'cutting carbs,'
'earn back calories,' 'burn off the weekend,' and equivalent framings that
treat beer consumption as a dietary cheat or compensation mechanism.
tier: core
trigger: "Any copy that frames the product as a diet compromise, guilt mitigation,
or calorie-counting tool."
allowed_alternative: "Frame low calories and carbs as enabling active enjoyment —
balance and celebration, not restriction. Use: 'You put in the miles. Now enjoy
the moment.' Not: 'Need a beer that won't ruin your diet?'"
escalation: "Flag to Brand Strategy for review."
- item: >
Never frame Michelob ULTRA as a functional wellness product or use
regulatory-adjacent wellness language (e.g., 'clinically proven,' 'supports
metabolism,' 'antioxidant,' 'probiotic,' or similar).
tier: core
trigger: "Any copy that uses wellness, supplement, or health-benefit vocabulary
in connection with the product."
allowed_alternative: "State verified nutritional facts only. Approved: '95 calories,
2.6g carbs, no artificial flavors or colors.' Not approved: claims of health
benefit derived from those figures."
escalation: "Route to Legal immediately."
- item: >
Never portray solo drinking, anti-social consumption, or isolation as
aspirational. Never depict drinking as a coping mechanism, stress reliever,
or emotional escape.
tier: core
trigger: "Any creative that depicts a lone drinker in a non-celebratory or
non-social context, or that frames alcohol as emotional relief."
allowed_alternative: "Ground all consumption scenes in group effort, shared
victory, team culture, and social transition from physical activity to
celebratory downtime."
escalation: "Flag to Brand Strategy for review."
- item: >
Never use aggressive 'bro-culture' tropes, sports trash-talking, hyper-intense
gym-culture rhetoric, or slapstick beer clichés.
tier: core
trigger: "Copy using aggressive competitive taunts, pain-cave endurance rhetoric,
or lowbrow humor associated with legacy beer advertising."
allowed_alternative: "Use energetic, celebratory language grounded in shared
achievement and casual social reward. Energetic but not intense; premium but
not pretentious."
escalation: "Flag to Brand Strategy for review."
- item: >
Never attack or denigrate traditional light lagers (Bud Light, Busch Light,
or other Anheuser-Busch InBev siblings). Do not frame them as 'unhealthy,'
'inferior,' or 'obsolete.'
tier: core
trigger: "Any comparative copy that positions ULTRA against AB InBev sibling
brands in a negative frame."
allowed_alternative: "Position ULTRA as a lifestyle preference and premium
upgrade, not a denouncement of classic beer. Acknowledge the trade-up without
attacking the category."
escalation: "Route to Legal / Corporate Affairs before publishing any comparative
claim involving AB InBev portfolio brands."
- item: >
Never produce unsourced market-leadership superlatives ('America's #1 beer,'
'#1 fastest-growing') without attaching the specific syndicated data source,
measurement window, and date on which the claim was verified.
tier: core
trigger: "Any ranking or market-share superlative not accompanied by its
Circana or NielsenIQ source citation and measurement window."
allowed_alternative: "Cite the specific data source and window, e.g.:
'Circana MULC, 52-week rolling window ending 12.01.2024.' Claims without
a current, dated citation must not be published."
escalation: "Route to Legal / Brand Strategy to obtain a current Circana or
NielsenIQ pull before publishing."
```
## Soft nos
These require judgment. Context determines appropriateness.
```yaml
soft_no:
- item: >
Repeating 95-calorie / 2.6g-carb entry-level stats to existing, loyal
community members in retention copy.
tier: default
condition: >
Acceptable in acquisition (prospect) copy and category education contexts.
Off-brand in retention, community, or event-led copy where the audience
already knows the stats. Loyalists: assume shared values; do not re-pitch
the basics.
- item: >
Attributing the 95-calorie / 2.6g-carb figures to any product other than
original Michelob ULTRA (12 fl oz) without specifying the correct
product-specific figures.
tier: core
condition: >
These figures apply strictly to the original SKU. Use product-specific specs
for all line extensions:
Pure Gold: 85 cal | 2.5g carbs | 3.8% ABV
Organic Seltzer: 80 cal | 0g carbs | 4.0% ABV
ULTRA Zero: 29 cal | 6.5g carbs | 0.0% ABV
Infusions (e.g., Lime & Prickly Pear Cactus): 95 cal | 4.0g carbs | 4.0% ABV
Never conflate figures across SKUs.
- item: >
Using named celebrity or athlete talent (e.g., Lionel Messi, Serena Williams,
Willem Dafoe, Catherine O'Hara, Randy Moss, Ryan Crouser, Sabrina Ionescu)
in generated copy, creative briefs, or social content.
tier: core
condition: >
Named talent may appear only within their specific contracted campaign context.
Do not generate new copy, quotes, or creative that places named talent in
unapproved contexts.
escalation: "Obtain written approval from Legal and the relevant campaign owner
before producing any content that names or depicts contracted talent."
- item: >
Framing DoorDash or any third-party delivery gifting feature without
attaching a responsibility qualifier.
tier: default
condition: >
Any copy referencing the ability to send beer via DoorDash or equivalent
must include responsible-consumption framing. Approved language: 'easily
and responsibly.' Do not frame gifting as impulsive or unconstrained.
- item: >
Using partner-voice commercial terms (basket-size uplift, pour-rights
efficiency, SKU throughput, co-activation) in consumer-facing copy.
tier: default
condition: >
These terms belong exclusively in B2B / partner communications. Acceptable
in venue operator, media buyer, or league partnership decks; never in
consumer creative.
- item: >
Framing ULTRA as a direct competitor to or substitute for non-alcoholic
craft beers (e.g., Athletic Brewing) in consumer copy.
tier: default
condition: >
For consumers seeking zero alcohol, agents must route them to Michelob ULTRA
Zero — not stretch the main brand into NA positioning. Cross-category
comparison is acceptable in category-education contexts with accurate ABV
disclosure; do not imply ULTRA serves as an NA option.
```
## Brand safety
For vendor platforms, brand-safety tools, and DSPs.
```yaml
brand_safety:
adjacency_unsuitable:
- "GARM Floor: Illegal content"
- "GARM Floor: Child sexual abuse material"
- "GARM Floor: Content that promotes or facilitates violence"
- "GARM Floor: Hate speech targeting protected characteristics"
- "Underage audience contexts (any platform, channel, or content primarily
consumed by audiences under 21)"
- "Anti-alcohol advocacy content"
- "Content promoting extreme dietary restriction, eating disorder culture,
or body-shaming"
- "IAB 3.0: Illegal drugs / tobacco / e-cigarettes (non-adjacent)"
- "IAB 3.0: Death, tragedy, or conflict news without clear editorial context"
adjacency_acceptable:
- "Sports and fitness content targeting legal-drinking-age adults"
- "Active lifestyle, wellness culture, and social health content (LDA-gated)"
- "Entertainment, music festivals, and live sports events (LDA-gated)"
- "Food and beverage editorial (beer, wine, spirits, hospitality)"
- "Golf, tennis, soccer, basketball, running, and endurance sports coverage"
- "Celebrity and pop-culture content reaching primarily adult audiences"
adjacency_contextual:
health_and_wellness:
rule: >
Acceptable when content covers active lifestyle, fitness culture, or
sports nutrition in a balanced frame. Not acceptable when content
makes specific medical or therapeutic claims, or when the placement
would imply ULTRA is a health or recovery product.
competitive_sports_coverage:
rule: >
Acceptable alongside coverage of sports ULTRA sponsors (NBA, PGA Tour,
FIFA, WNBA, tennis). Avoid adjacency to contact-sport highlight reels
emphasizing injury, pain, or extreme physical harm.
social_media_influencer_content:
rule: >
Acceptable when influencer audience is verifiably 21+ and content
aligns with active, social lifestyle positioning. Require LDA
compliance confirmation before activation.
```
## Regulatory constraints
```yaml
regulatory:
framework: >
TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) labeling and advertising
regulations; FTC truth-in-advertising standards; DISCUS / Beer Institute
Advertising and Marketing Code; Anheuser-Busch InBev responsible-marketing
standards; state and local alcohol beverage control (ABC) regulations.
notes: >
All marketing content must target legal-drinking-age (21+) audiences.
Age gating is required on all owned digital surfaces. Health and nutrition
claims must not imply physiological benefit from alcohol consumption.
Nutritional figures (calories, carbs, ABV) must be stated per 12 fl oz
serving and attributed to the specific SKU. Market-leadership superlatives
require a current syndicated data citation (Circana MULC or NielsenIQ)
with measurement window and date before publication.
restricted_claims: >
Any claim implying a health benefit, medical efficacy, or fitness
performance enhancement requires Legal review and pre-approval before use.
Market-share ranking superlatives require a current, dated, named
syndicated data source. Named talent usage requires campaign-specific
contractual clearance from Legal.
responsible_consumption_notice: >
All brand communications must carry or be consistent with the brand's
responsible-consumption message: 'Michelob ULTRA reminds you to always
drink, and sweat, responsibly.' This notice is non-negotiable in
broadcast, digital, and owned-channel contexts.
```
## Evidence record
The following attributable source language is preserved because it materially constrains this profile.
### Qualification
> With just 95 calories, 2.6 carbs and no artificial flavors or colors, it is a superior light beer that celebrates the active, balanced lifestyle of its drinkers that includes both fitness and fun.
Source: prnewswire.com — https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michelob-ultra-ups-the-ante-with-star-studded-cast-in-new-ultra-hustle-super-bowl-lix-commercial-302362070.html
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> Named celebrity and athlete talent appear only in a contracted Super Bowl campaign context, indicating their use requires approval.
Source: Public source
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> Michelob ULTRA frames its campaign invitation specifically to 21-and-over fans, signaling a hard age boundary on messaging.
Source: Public source