Bud Light Provides Lift for Snow Sports
For decades, Anheuser-Busch and its iconic brands have helped shape the face of major sports like football, baseball and baseball. But just as consumer tastes have changed and expanded into new and interesting styles of beer, the sports landscape has expanded through the rapid growth of what were once considered “fringe” sports.
The slopes have always been a popular destination for consumers, but skiing and snow sports have expanded in recent years. One needs to look no further than the Winter Olympic Games for evidence of both. Nordic skiing, ski jumping and alpine skiing have been around since the earliest days of the Winter Olympics. In 1988, freestyle skiing was added to the mix and a decade later, in 1998, snowboarding made its debut.
For its part, Anheuser-Busch has helped support this growth from its highest levels through sponsorship of United States Ski and Snowboard Association (Bud Light). But the company’s support extends well beyond the sports’ upper levels and down to its grassroots.
Resorts
For year, Anheuser-Busch has sponsored and activated around some of the nation’s best ski resorts – both East and West. Aspen, Steamboat, Killington, Mt. Snow, Sugar Loaf. Alignment with these properties provides various opportunities for A-B to connect with its core consumers.
Activation
The company’s sponsorship of these properties allows it to create and/or get involved with key events on the mountain, such as Steamboat’s annual Cowboy Downhill. A-B also has the ability to use its assets on the mountain to consumer promotions it can activate at retail.
Most importantly, A-B ensures its investment in the mountain is backed by the availability of its broad beer brand portfolio at retail accounts – both on the mountain and in the villages below. This allows A-B to reach a variety of adult beer drinkers; those who are loyal consumers of A-B brands and those who are interested in various styles of beer and interested in its new products.
Summertime Entertainment
Bud Light, the world’s best-selling beer, is a brand that understands and invests in entertainment to reach its core consumers. It did not get to be the beer of good times without an understanding of how to keep the party going.
In Vail and Beaver Creek, for instance, the brand supports the Bud Light Street Beat and Bud Light Hot Summer Nights, annual concert series that provide free entertainment to local residents and visitors. These events help keep these communities vibrant and the brand at the forefront during the summer months as well.