Anheuser-Busch unveiled a new advertising strategy for Budweiser today, reports USA Today.
Brace yourselves, because it's a revolutionary one:
FREE BEER!!
The idea behind the company's new "Grab some Buds" campaign is targeted toward the under-30s who guzzle astonishing amounts of beer -- beer, market studies show, that is NOT Budweiser.
So A-B, beginning next Monday, will begin a free-sample blitz in "trendy bars and eateries." On September 29, they will host Budweiser National Happy Hour. By mid-October, they plan to have given out 500,000 samples nationwide.
A-B will also partner with Facebook to provide a free beer for users 22 and older on their birthdays, and will begin a TV ad blitz. Ninety-five percent of Anheuser-Busch TV ad money is going toward pushing Budweiser.
Brands can come back," says Dave Peacock, A-B president. "Consumers have a high awareness of the brand, but some haven't tried it in a long time."
