One of the goals accomplished by Budweiser’s heavy advertising in the Super Bowl was the launch of Bud.TV, the new channel recently launched by the King of Beers. It’s an interesting combination of comedy, girls, and CGM, designed to keep guys entertained.
So, what’s the point here? Of course, Bud’s TV commercials are legend – funny, out of the box, clever. But does that sell beer? (I had to think long and hard before I remembered that the recently terminated "Man Laws" series was actually done for Miller.) Maybe after all these years of humorous beer commercials in football games, Anheuser-Busch has come to the realization that starting their own proprietary channels actually gives them more environmental control.
But does Bud.TV sell beer? After all, there really isn’t a whole lot of Budweiser branding on Bud.TV. So what’s going on here, and why is Budweiser sinking all this money and time into Bud.TV? And we’re talking perhaps $30 million in the first year, with stars like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Vince Vaughn, and Kevin Spacey participating and contributing.
Maybe the bet works something like this – create a cool product with solid, entertaining content that is available to Bud’s target (guys, especially young guys) who everyone knows spends lots of time on computers. In fact, they’re becoming harder to reach on conventional media, like television and radio. And even if you do, they’re TiVo-ing through commercials, channel-flipping, and losing the message because of all the other clutter. So, why not establish a beachhead on the Internet, and let THEM pick and choose their entertainment?
And maybe the concept is that if these guys spend enough time on Bud.TV, and enjoy the environment, that when the time comes to walk into a Wa-Wa’s, they’ll think Budweiser.
Is that a stretch? Is it any more of a stretch to spend $2.5 million per commercial in the Super Bowl, and hope that anyone notices? These guys may be onto something.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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