InBev, the Only Way to Bring Back Bud Is By Being Fearless†

Budweiser Soared When Its Owners and Agency Took Chances. It Can Happen Again

Advertising Age, August 11, 2008 — As un-American as this is going to sound, maybe the best thing that could have happened to the would-be King of Beers' parent company is to be acquired by a Belgian-Brazilian multi-/mega-brewer that, despite honeymoon promises to the contrary, should indeed turn its marketing upside down.

Brazilian Takeover Bid Imperils Bud Brand†

Foreign Ownership Could Be Problem for Brewer's All-American Reputation

Advertising Age, June 2, 2008 — As Anheuser-Busch frets over how to ward off a takeover attempt from Brazilian-run InBev, the positioning of its flagship brand might just be the closest thing the No. 1 U.S. brewer has to a poison pill.

In fact, A-B distributors and agency executives who have worked on Bud and its sibling brands have grave doubts that a brand as overtly red, white and blue as Budweiser — and, by connection, its siblings — would remain credible with consumers under a Belgian owner operated by Brazilians.

Traffic Plummets at Struggling Bud.TV†

Brewer's Online Network Sees 40% Drop in Visitors During Second Month

Advertising Age, April 12, 2007 — Traffic at Anheuser-Busch's online TV network cratered in March following an already underwhelming debut in February. Bud.TV drew 152,000 unique visitors last month, 40% fewer than February's 253,000 visitors, according to numbers released today by ComScore Media Metrix. A-B executives have said that they hope to draw between 2 million and 3 million visitors per month by early next year to the online network, which is costing the brewer somewhere between $30 million and $40 million.

A Small Drop In Bud's Barrel

BusinessWeek, March 19, 2007 — What is happening with Anheuser-Busch (BUD ), proprietor of Budweiser and other iconic Middle American beer, mirrors much of what's up with big marketing and media right now. There's the pursuit of the elusive 25-year-old Everyman. There's the struggle to recalibrate how the brewer sells big brands in stupendous volumes amid the vicissitudes of an uncooperative and fractionalized market.

Super Bowl ads increase sites' market share of visits

DMNews, February 8, 2007 — Snickers.com and BudLight.com received the largest market share increase of Web site visits on Feb. 5 following their Super Bowl ads when compared to other brands advertising during the big game, according to online competitive intelligence service Hitwise.

TippingSprung Fields Third Annual Brand-Extension Survey

Survey, in collaboration with Brandweek magazine, names best and worst brand extensions in 10 popular categories

TippingSprung, December 21, 2006 — Results from TippingSprung’s third annual survey of brand extensions, produced in collaboration with marketing newsweekly Brandweek, revealed which extensions are most effective, which have potential to dilute the brand, and what makes some brands more extendible than others. Major trends in brand extensions were also uncovered.

This Web TV Is for You, Especially if You're a Male Aged 21 to 34

New York Times, September 6, 2006 — IF Anheuser-Busch has its way, it may not be long before consumers start insisting ''I want my BTV.'' That's ''BTV'' as in Bud TV, an online entertainment network that Anheuser-Busch, the nation's biggest brewer, is preparing to introduce the day after Super Bowl XLI is played in early February. The network, which will be on a Web site that will have the bud.tv address, accelerates a push by Anheuser-Busch into the business of providing program content.

Frothier Than Ever: The Tall Cold One Bows to the Stylish One

New York Times, August 15, 2005 — At Employees Only, a trendy bar and restaurant in the West Village of Manhattan, the good-looking, stylishly attired bartenders do not serve Budweiser. Nor do they sling bottles of Miller, Amstel Light, Heineken or any of the usual well-known beers.