Dive Brief:
- Bud Light has expanded its “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” platform with what it is billing as its biggest summer campaign ever, according to a press release.
- The effort includes a 60-second spot, “Easy to Summer,” that is soundtracked by Chic’s “Good Times” and will be supported by the brand’s largest media spend to date. In addition to several giveaways during the summer, the brand will also sponsor Bud Light Backyard Tour concerts.
- The sizable seasonal push comes in the wake of a controversy over the brand’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that negatively impacted sales.
Dive Insight:
As promised, Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev is putting some serious marketing muscle and increased advertising spend behind Bud Light as the company looks to rebound from a controversy that knocked the brand off its perch as America’s best-selling beer — a spot it had held for more than two decades.
In the weeks and months after its April collaboration with transgender influencer Mulvaney, AB InBev faced boycotts from conservatives and backlash from those who felt the brand responded poorly to the controversy and didn’t do enough to support Mulvaney. The boycotts have cut into Bud Light’s sales and led the marketer to put two marketing executives who oversaw the collaboration on leave.
The “Easy to Summer” spot looks to help Bud Light get back to the “good times” of the classic disco song that serves as its soundtrack. The 60-second spot is heavy with traditional, all-American summer imagery including coolers on blacktop, fridges full of Bud Light and limes, awkward tan lines and a host of comical party fouls.
The campaign will be supported by Bud Light’s largest media spend ever and builds on an “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” platform established in February with a well-received Super Bowl ad. To extend the campaign, the brand will give away $10,000 weekly to support summer activities, give consumers a chance to win $100 toward their bar tabs and offer rebates over the July 4 weekend.
In addition, the brand will continue previous music-focused efforts by sponsoring a summer concert tour, the Bud Light Backyard Tour, featuring artists Tyler Braden, Seaforth and others. While tour details have not been made available, the brand plans to give consumers a chance to win tickets to the shows.
Bud Light is also looking past summer to what is usually a focus of its marketing efforts: the upcoming NFL season. NFL stars Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Dak Prescott feature in new creative that will debut in advance of the season, and consumers will have a chance to win memorabilia signed by the players.
