At a glance

Budweiser, the beer owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, has tapped into the passion, power and personalities of sports to humanize its brand.

Why it matters

Craft brands pose a major challenge to legacy players in the beer sector, which can appear as too large and highly impersonal in comparison with these smaller enterprises. Established brands thus face a challenge to present a more human face.

Takeaways

  • Budweiser knows that sports is a powerful form of connectivity with consumers, but also is based on meaningful human stories.
  • Through building associations with soccer, baseball and basketball, the brand was able to show how it championed particular American values.

  • Applying a distinct lens to sports-led messaging assisted Budweiser in tapping a rich seam of emotions.