Bud Light hails relaunch a success as it looks to ‘cement’ positioning with TV push

The low-alcohol beer brand is boasting of a 27% repeat purchase rate since its return to the UK market this year, and claims young people who have fallen out of love with beer are among its biggest customers.

Bud Light is looking to further strengthen the brand with a big media push, as it hails its relaunch in the UK in February a success.

The low-alcohol beer brand was reintroduced to the British market earlier this year after a 16-year hiatus. The AB InBev-owned brand previously rolled out two campaigns and brought back the Budweiser frogs as it looked to raise awareness.

Bud Light is now following this up with another TV campaign that aims to “establish the brand’s personality”.

The campaign, which includes the new ‘Keep It Bud Light’ slogan and was created by Wieden+Kennedy London, looks to mock the aspirational lifestyles portrayed by many other brands in a light-hearted way.

The 30-second ad will air across national TV channels, as well as cinemas, throughout October and November. The advert is part of a broader marketing campaign, which will include “significant” digital spend across Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram, as well as PR and influencer activity between now and the end of the year.

“We now want to cement our positioning and point of view to the UK consumer and start strengthening our success,” Andre Finamore, AB InBev marketing manager, tells Marketing Week.

The ‘success’ of the relaunch

Finamore says Bud Light’s launch has been “incredibly” successful so far, and has managed to appeal to consumers who knew the brand in the 1990s as well as a younger audience.

The beer brand claims it has the highest percentage of consumers aged 34 and under purchasing its products, with more “affluent” consumers also buying into the brand.

Awareness has also grown “significantly” month on month hitting 50%, and sales are “translating in the same way”. The repeat purchase rate, meanwhile, stands at 27%.

We are rejuvenating the beer category a bit, and we’re providing an offering that really resonates with 18- to 24-year-old consumers that we know have been falling out of love with beer for a while.

Andre Finamore, AB InBev

“We always knew it was a brand people loved, but what it’s doing in reflection to the market is exactly what we wanted,” he says.

“If everyone tries you but never repeats [buying your product], you don’t want that. So it has been amazing. Every time we see a repeat rate between 10% to 15% [it’s] good, but to have it as 27% shows the brand has amazing potential,” he explains.

“We are rejuvenating the beer category a bit, and we’re providing an offering that really resonates with 18- to 24-year-old consumers that we know have been falling out of love with beer for a while.”

Bud Light plans to maintain its level of marketing spend over the next two years, and will launch multiple big campaigns next year to keep awareness levels up. While the brand is not worried about consumers’ negative perceptions of “healthier” beer options, it is aware of the importance of getting the product into people’s hands.

He concludes: “The biggest challenge that we need to focus on is getting more people to try the product and brand, and drive repeat purchases into the next couple of years, and help increase trial and penetration. We are also launching in new formats to increase distribution. That will be our biggest focus.”

Recommended