Anheuser-Busch is a company who seems to really feed off of social media. Anheuser-Busch has a lot of different beers: Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, Ultra, specialty brews and seasonal beers. However, Iâve noticed that Bud Light is often posted about more than their other beers. I think Bud Light became my beer of choice through the posts I have noticed all over my social media, commercials, and various advertisements. Enjoying the taste has also persuaded me. However, I may not have ever paid attention to Bud Light if I did not see it around so often. I may have stuck with Miller Lite or gone for Corona instead.
With all of their social success though, they also face the challenge of managing their brand on the social web. For the past several years Bud Light has been aiming to gain younger beer drinkers as they are âmore promiscuous in their brand choices, than preceding generations,â Eric Shepard, the executive editor of Beer Marketerâs Insights, stated. While they are seeking the younger generation though, they have to maintain loyalty among all of their customers and not only focus on one group. Therefore, there is a new Bud Light design that will be appearing in the spring of 2016 that is more of a authentic design. This could appeal to older generations as well. Seems like a good idea to me, more of a step forward. For instance, Miller Lite brought back an old can design from the â70s last year, but thatâs what all companies seem to be doing; recalling the past. Personally, I am losing faith in society having the ability to come up with anything new anymore. Bring back what was cool in the past, but eventually lost itâs sensation, and now making it cool again is getting old to me. Â
Gaining a younger, more promiscuous crowd has brought its failures, however. In April, 2015 Bud Light hit their consumers the wrong way in an advertisement. âThe perfect beer for removing âNoâ from your vocabulary for the nightâ was the message posted on a Bud Light bottle. Many saw this as a message that somewhat encouraged rape and sexual assault as many cases involve alcohol as a rapistsâ tool to take advantage of their victims. This advertisement was not intended to encourage irresponsible behavior. It was intended to encourage spontaneous fun, which is their promotion in their Bud Light Up for Whatever campaign.
Speaking of their Up for Whatever campaign, that is a large reason why I started drinking Bud Light. They did well, the videos and pictures looked like a blast. Drinking the right amount of alcohol is a blast. Therefore, why wouldnât I want to be up for whatever? Especially when with a good group of friends. It is the campaigns second year now and I feel like it is promoting light-hearted fun more than disrespectful behavior than the add above may have condoned.
In the end, the amount of alcohol consumed and the behavior that follows is in our hands. Yes, companies may need to think a little harder about the perception they could be sending out, but that is what is in their hands. They have their own brand and we have our own brand. What we do with it is up to us.
