(Indianapolis, IN) – Anheuser-Busch InBev execs gave a presentation at a conference last month, highlighting company initiatives and current-year performance.
Though the speakers didn’t go into depth on the subject, an accompanying set of slides reveal that the company is placing heavy emphasis on its partnership with the NFL to grow Bud Light sales in the U.S.. The Super Bowl is one of the cornerstones of the NFL sponsorship.
One slide focuses on a six-year plan by which AB plans on “making the brand synonymous with the football occasion.” Here is one interpretation of the slide:
2011 – Make football fans aware of Bud Light
2012 – Make football fans believe in Bud Light
2013 – Football fans will anticipate the release of Bud Light
2014 – Football fans will develop an affinity for Bud Light
2015 – Football fans will be an awe of Bud Light
2016 – Football fans will develop an attachment to Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch promotes its NFL/Super Bowl partnership using a “360 degree activation” marketing strategy in which it hits beer drinkers consuming media on multiple platforms and pulls customer purchases at point-of-sale. This involves everything from new Super Bowl-centric Bud Light packaging (like the aluminum bottles below) to the Bud Light Platinum product launch to the Super Bowl hotel correspondent contest on Facebook.
Some of those packages are already on shelves though the company won’t launch Bud Light Platinum until next month. Despite logic to the contrary, a source with one of AB’s new agencies hinted that craft beer drinkers may be among the target groups for the new product. AB isn’t the first company hoping to lure beer drinkers with cobalt blue bottles.
style over substance, or Big Brother is now Big Brewer. In a previous life I drank Budweiser and other Anhueser Busch products. Now I drink it only when I need a laxative or the water is undrinkable. Heaven forbid that they ever consider the brewing aspect of beer, nay nay, market, advertise, sell, sell, sell!
WTF? WTF? Huh? Corporate marketing douchespeak at it’s finest.
Every morning I wake up and I’m happy because I know I’m one day closer to Bud Light Platinum. Hell Yeah!!!
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How about making a beer the fans like to drink. They never think about the beer itself, just advertising to the uninformed.
All AB has to do to boost sales is stop lying and just be what they are. If they started a marketing campaign entitled “Cold and cheap” they would see instant growth. Let craft be the higher end, and just let Bud Light be what it is… fast, easy and cheap. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with that. Tap into, and own your market.
“2013 – Football fans will anticipate the release of Bud Light”
i’m picturing a big release party a la Dark Lord Day for Bud Light in 2013
Well, they already do make a beer the fans like to drink. But fans also like to drink Coors light and Miller Lite so that’s what this is about.