“The Biggest Summer Campaign Ever” Will Rescue the Brand
Bud Light’s New Campaign “Easy to Summer” Will Rescue the Brand from being Boycotted and Get back to the Top Sales
After underthrowing the backlash and boycott, Bud Light, one of the most popular American beer brands, announced to hold a “Biggest Summer Campaign Ever” including giving away $10,000 a week, to try to salvage its crazy sales decline this year.
In April 2023, Bud Light posted an ad video on their Instagram’s official account, in which the American transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney dressed as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to promote the product. Due to the serious deviation between the advertising content and product positioning, as well as the identity of the spokesperson, the video aroused strong dissatisfaction from conservatives. The resulting boycott resulted in a severe decline in Bud Light sales from April to June this year, down to 30.3 percent lower than in the same week in 2022. As a result, its market was quickly occupied by Modelo Especial.
Face serious backlash and to save sales, Bud Light held a new campaign “Easy to Summer” in the summer of 2023. The “Easy to Summer” event is in line with Budweiser’s product positioning “Easy to Drink,” aiming to show that it is the best irreplaceable beer for leisure and party time.
The new advertising published by Bud Light on Youtube mainly focused on summer leisure time. It used the disco hit “Good Times” by Chic and American summer parties imagery such as scorched gravel paths, sunburns, a backyard with a pool, and hammocks. In this video, The presence of Bud Light shows the convenience and tasty of products and also encourages the audience to embrace the laid-back lifestyle of summer. Whether it’s lounging by the pool, enjoying a beach day, or having a chill evening with friends, Bud Light is there to complement an easy-going moment.
In addition to publishing their ads on social media such as their official account on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, Bud Light will give consumers a chance to win $100 toward their bar tabs and offer rebates over the July 4 weekend. Along with giving away money directly to customers, the company is also sponsoring a major musical tour this summer and partnering with NFL stars. invite NFL superstars Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Dak Prescott to join in their summer activities. They will combine their digital content with these stars in new content, and fans will have the chance to win signed memorabilia from Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Dak Prescott.
Besides, the brand will continue to sponsor their summer concert tour, the Bud Light Backyard Tour, featuring artists Tyler Braden, Seaforth, and others. And the consumers may have a chance to win tickets to the tour.
The backlash in April this year undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the sales of bud light. We can attribute this to a major lapse in the marketing department’s understanding of the product’s image.
The brand image is the overall cognition and perception of the brand by consumers. By keeping the advertising content consistent with the brand image, the brand can better establish awareness in the hearts of consumers and enhance the brand’s recognizability and memory. As one of the most well-known beer brands in the United States, Budweiser has a brand image of being relaxed, easy to drink, and social. The content of the “easy to summer” advertisement this time shows joyful party scenes, happy interactions among young people, and a relaxed and happy atmosphere. This will be consistent with its brand image and help consumers generate positive perceptions of the brand. At the same time attract more consumers to choose the brand.
However, the short advertising video released by the brand earlier showed the image of Holly, who is unrelated to beer, sports, and party time. Leaving aside the sensitive topic of transgender, the content of the ad was seriously inconsistent with the brand’s image and positioning. If the brand image presented in the advertisement does not match the actual product or brand image, consumers may be confused or disappointed, reducing trust in the brand.
This “Easy to Summer” promotion allows us to see the adjustments made by bud light in the face of the brand crisis. The new campaign content based on its product positioning and personal advertising tagline is gradually restoring consumers’ favorability.
