Branding and Strategy
Ad Age: Bud Light is your biggest and most important brand. How do you make sure you don't overextend it with new versions?
Mr. Sundet: The key is to make sure that it all ties back into the essence of what Bud Light is all about. Bud Light is a fun, social, spontaneous brand. It's all about having fun with your friends. If you look at Bud Light Golden Wheat, I don't know that we executed that exactly the way it was intended. That came off as much more serious and much more of a craft beer, and that wasn't something consumers were looking for from Bud Light.
But Bud Light Platinum is all about fun and sociability in slightly higher-end, more sophisticated occasions. We are far exceeding our sales expectations with that brand because the concept is true to what Bud Light is all about.
I hadn't realized it at the time, but the Golden Wheat commercials were substantially different than the usual Bud Light commercial. Check out a few samples of a "typical" commercial below:
Now watch the Golden Wheat launch commercial:
Sundet is certainly correct when he says Bud Light Golden Wheat wasn't positioned as a "have fun with your friends" beer. While I don't think it was branded as a specialty "craft" beer, it definitely wasn't in alignment with the other products that make up the Bud Light family.
Would Bud Light have been successful at re-launching Bud Light Golden Wheat and branding it as a "have fun with your friends" beer, like the other products in the Bud Light family? I know many people that liked this beer, and am certain I was enjoying time with my friends while drinking it. But the big whigs at Bud Light (who have a practically infinite Marketing budget) seemed to think the damage had been done (and the product would never be thought of as a "have fun with your friends" beer).
The lesson for Marketing people? Make sure your products align with your branding strategy!
In : Marketing Strategy