Bud Light's Whatever, USA

I'm sure at this point almost everyone has seen some sort of advertisement or promotion for Bud Light's "town" called Whatever, USA. Although it may be a break from my usual observations about packaging redesigns and the social media marketing that goes along with it, I felt this was easily one of the biggest promotions over the last year for practically any beverage company in the United States and I would be in the wrong not to discuss it.

The basic idea behind the promotion is that Bud Light decided to make its own temporary town and throw a huge, multi-day, random party there. Obviously there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the general concept. Getting all this to happen was an entirely different story. It started with a TV ad promoting what I just described many months ago. The ad ended with the slogan "Are you up for Whatever?", a clever play on words. Eventually the slogan was shortened to become the Twitter tag #UpForWhatever. Bud Light's Twitter page then started posting all kinds of promotional material online that included this tag, along with a link to the company website where the event was described in more detail.

Another thing Bud Light did a great job of with this promotion was making it interactive for consumers. The YouTube page that was created specifically for this event played a huge part in this. In addition to advertisements and other clever videos, fans had to submit videos in which they discussed why they would be a good candidate to make the trip to Whatever. Once the candidates were chosen, Bud Light flew them out to a small town in Colorado that had been set up to be Whatever, USA. All the random (but planned) events that took place in Whatever were filmed and then made into a lengthy video showing all the shenanigans and fun that was had over the course of the several days the town existed. Photos were shared and posted on the Facebook page and the website had some minor redesigns so people could more easily view content from the event.

Although there aren't any numbers out quite yet that could make it so I could definitely say the promotion was a success, based on the amount of participation and effort that went into Whatever, I would be surprised if it wasn't very successful. Combine that with several more promotional events at things like music festivals, and it makes you realize how big this promotion was and how many platforms it covered.

Budweiser: Seeing Red or Seeing Green?

For a second straight week, Budweiser has earned the distinction of being the primary subject of my blog. More specifically, the recent remodeling of their cans (or should I say aluminum bottles?) to a design with heavy emphasis on the color red. Budweiser has always been a brand defined by recognizable symbols and slogans. They are also one of the few beer companies that comes to mind that uses red prominently in their branding. So it should come as no surprise that Budweiser would design a can that can stand out from the rest and become a symbol of the company.

While most beer companies try to convey refreshment and happiness on their packaging through the use of colors like blue and white, Budweiser decided to make a complete 180 and go with a can that is vibrantly red. The result is a can that stands out easily from the others. To reinforce the new design as the new symbol of the company, the Facebook and Twitter pages for the company have been highly active in sharing photos of the new can. Each page has also been themed to further reinforce the color in a way that makes people associate it with the company. Red text, backgrounds, and profile pictures are abundant and pop out to viewers.

In addition to the prominent use of red, Budweiser has simultaneously launched an advertising campaign against drunk driving featuring man's best friend. It's a touching commercial and really helps put the company in a positive light to go along with the release of the newly designed can.

Red, White, and Brew: Budweiser's "Made in America" Campaign

When thinking about the best selling beers in America, you would be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't guess that Budweiser isn't at the top of the list. Those people would be right, too. Anheuser-Busch, the company that makes Budweiser, holds 47.6% of beer shares to retailers in the United States. It has long been a staple of American beers, and as such has remained unsurprisingly consistent with its packaging.

Also unsurprising is the fact that the marketers for the most successful beer brand in the United States realize that occasionally offering limited edition can designs can lead to increased sales. That is the exact thinking behind the "Made in America" marketing campaign for Budweiser. After several years of introducing the limited time only American flag design on Budweiser cans, the company has decided to take it one step further and jump into the digital age of marketing.

The concept behind the campaign is to capitalize on the sense of patriotism that builds up in the summer months following Memorial Day. While the cans donning the stars and stripes have always been a favorite, a new social media campaign was added to help connect with consumers. In addition to the Budweiser Facebook and Twitter pages, it includes a new Facebook page titled "Made in America" along with the Twitter tag #MadeInAmerica. The purpose of these social media moves is to promote a concert tour that is sponsored by Budweiser and travels across the United States convincing people to show their patriotism by purchasing Budweiser. It's a clever ploy by the company, and based on sales, it clearly works.

Hiding In Plain Sight: The Camo Cans of Keystone Light

Whenever I think of Keystone Light, I always think of the 18-pack of Keystone tallboys that my brother gave me after my 21st birthday. We both had a good laugh at the gift, sarcastically praising the quality and amount of money he had to forfeit to reward me with such a present. Next, I think of the "Keith Stone: Always Smooth" ad campaign the company previously used, which I must say I found pretty funny thanks to its overconfident and senseless style of humor. Finally, I think of buying beer in large quantities to provide to guests at parties because it's cheap for me and free for them so they have no grounds to complain. 

It's not likely that my opinion of Keystone Light will change, nor will the reasons why I buy it. But thanks to the newest marketing campaign by the company, it is likely that I'll be more inclined to buy Keystone Light over any of the other light beers that I occasionally provide to party guests. Starting at the beginning of September, which conveniently coincides with the beginning of football and tailgate season across the US, Keystone Light cans will feature a Realtree camouflage design as part of it "Can Hunt" campaign. As part of the redesign, some beer cases will feature a special orange can. Discovering the orange can gives people the opportunity to enter a drawing for a variety of prizes as outlined on the Keystone Light Facebook page. 

While this isn't the first time Keystone has done the orange can promotion, it is the first time it has featured camo cans. Even though my only sample is football tailgates at large Southern schools where people love to put camo on everything, the new cans seem to be a hit so far. Most of the promotion I've seen has been through word of mouth, but the Facebook and Twitter pages have had a decent amount of material bringing attention to the new cans. It's still too early to really determine if the campaign has been successful, but we should have a pretty solid indication when the promotion ends in late November. My prediction: the cans end up being a success, but don't count on any permanent changes. 

Miller Lite: Still Wearing White After Labor Day

When it comes to light beer, it seems everyone has their preference and that's that. And who could blame them? Light beers aren't exactly considered a delicacy. For most people, when they find a light beer they actually like, they tend to stick to it. When you look at sales for the past few years, it rarely changes. Based on personal experience, I completely believe it. I know people who drink Coors Light like it's some sort of responsibility. I hate Coors Light. The taste is terrible, the silver can is bland and boring and makes me think of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. 

Personally, I've always been a Bud Light fan. The commercials look fun, the deep blue color scheme looks refreshing and welcoming, and the beer isn't half bad. They've had some great marketing campaigns over the year and always seem to be on top of social media. Each of these contributes to their consistency as the top seller. But then something unexpected happened. I heard about the new cans that Miller Lite had recently released thanks to Facebook and an ad campaign on YouTube, so I figured I would check it out. It was a drastic change in appearance, going from their shiny blue cans that featured modernized font and graphics to a simple and classic white and gold design that echoed the Miller Lite cans of old. I was pleasantly surprised with the can. The beer tasted pretty good. The next time I went to get light beer, I got Miller Lite. And the next. And the next. I had changed loyalties and didn't even realize it until long afterwards.

Curious if there was any sort of trend in the sales of Miller Lite, I did  some research. What I found was that Miller Lite was cutting into the sales of almost every other major light beer distributor. Thanks to a major social media campaign marketing Miller Lite as the original of light beers and the new can as a symbol of tradition, the company was able to flip the loyalty of numerous customers like myself. It was so effective that the campaign, along with the "new" can, became permanent. Both were suppose to be discontinued in March. So much for that.