Budweiser is well-known for its Super Bowl ads, more specifically the commercials that feature a beloved friendship between a puppy and a Clydesdale horse. Well, they’ve done it again this year BEFORE the commercial during the Super Bowl has even aired.
Contrary to traditional advertisements, Budweiser is generating hype a week before the Super Bowl by releasing an advertising campaign entitled “Lost Dog,” that depicts the puppy has gone missing and the company wants consumers help to find him. On their social media pages, consumers can enter a sweepstakes to win two tickets to this year’s Super Bowl as the ‘reward’ for finding the lost puppy.
Fans can also text BESTBUDS, which is the advertising hashtag, to a designated number to watch the pre-Super Bowl commercial and enter the sweepstakes. The video features the dog’s best bud, the horse, and their owner who encourages consumers to follow Budweiser on Twitter to see where the dog has been spotted. This helps Budweiser gain a larger following on social media, which will help establish brand recognition and recall. Seeing the puppy, or the hashtag #BESTBUDS, simultaneously connects the audience with the Budweiser brand. Additionally, it creates brand recognition for Super Bowl viewers who will be able to recognize the beer brand by the commercial’s plot line from the start.
This constant interaction between the brand to the consumer has definitely defined Budweiser as a novelty and has separated it from other popular beer brands. By utilizing social media and texting, consumers feel as though they’re part of the brand’s campaign. They interact with Budweiser by posting photos of their own dogs and tweeting to the brand about where the dog may have been seen.
Connecting with the audience’s emotional appeals may not drive sales immediately; however, the advertising tactics are generating a trustworthy brand and reaching new targeted consumers, such as women. Typically, beer brands target a male demographic through less emotional visuals, whereas Budweiser is transforming the beer culture by targeting a new and fresh audience.
What do you think of their pre-Super Bowl advertising campaign? Is it effective in generating buzz?
Kaitlyn Russell, Hannah Rodgers, Anna Joy Zima
IMC Hawks Blog 
Personally I love the Budweiser Superbowl commercials. Every year that is the commercial that I get excited for. I will admit I definitely cave before the Superbowl and watch the slipped video. I think this is great way to campaign a product. The fact alone that leading up the Superbowl I immediately think “Budweiser commercial” means they have impacted my way of thinking to relate the too. Plus, I agree that most beer commercials are geared toward men, I am a female and these are my favorite commercials, so go Budweiser.