Even though it markets the number one selling beer in America, Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch is in a slump. Craft beers aside, the problem with the portfolio is that the flagship beer, Budweiser, is not being consumed by 20-somethings. It has lost relevance. AB is pushing Bud Light and it’s working. Women like Bud Light because it’s low in calories and allows them to keep their wits about them (versus spirits). Guys like it because girls do. If you go to an arena concert today the line for the Budweiser is non-existent, while those for Bud Light, Coors, Miller and Guinness wind around the bathroom.
Augie needs to stay the course with Bud Light, but dial up the volume and relevance of Bud. Push the ingredients, trot out the Clydesdales, target 25-34 males, promote Americana, tight blue jeans, hard work and white teeth. And find a great song. Double ad spending, advertise in the right places and bring back the share. It’s the King of Beers for God’s sake.
