Branding Budweiser

 

What makes a brand memorable? When a company begins the process of choosing their brand name, they have to remember five keys elements to make their product or service more memorable than their competition. These five keys are…

1.      Should suggest that the product benefits

2.      Should  be memorable, distinctive, and positive

3.      Should fit the company or product image

4.      Should have no legal or regulatory restrictions

5.      Should be simple and emotional

(Kerin)

A brand name is described as any word, device (design, sound, shape, color) or combo of these used to distinguish a seller’s goods or services (Kerin).

 

One brand name that is easily recognizable and distinguishable in America is Budweiser beer. Budweiser was given its name by a brewer in the mid 1800’s named Adolphus Busch. Busch was the son of a German brewery and winery tycoon and decided in 1857 that he wanted to come to America to continue his father’s legacy and begin his own brand name. While in America, he married a woman named Lilian Anheuser and with the help of his father-in-law, Adolphus founded the Anheuser- Busch Co. brewery. In America, Adolphus wanted to make a beer that would appeal to all tastes and so he founded the Budweiser Lager Beer in 1876, establishing America’s first national beer brand (Budweiser.com).

The Budweiser brand is so popular today because of the brand personality they have established. We all know Budweiser for their Clydesdale horses and Super Bowl commercials. They have commercials and ads that show beer drinking as a community event that has sentimentality and celebration wrapped in one. Two commercials below show this brand personality with the emotional response Budweiser strives for. They are also a brand that uses marketing to their advantage. Recently, I was in a convenience store and they had a beer refrigerator that had a television as its door, showing Budweiser beer being poured in slow motion into an ice cold glass and the logo flashing across the screen. You could still see through the fridge, however, similar to a two way mirror. Although there were other beers in the fridge, a consumer’s mind is swayed by the projection to grab Budweiser brand because of the ad that they see upon approaching the fridge.

 

Today, according to Forbes, the Budweiser brand is worth $21.1 billion and is the 19^th world’s most valuable brand. “Budweiser (including Bud Light) is the biggest brand for Anheuser-Busch InBev. The global beer giant was created in 2008 when Belgium-based InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch. Bud is now the No. 3 beer brand in the U.S. behind Bud Light and Coors Light, as volume in the U.S. shrank for the 24th straight year in 2012. The brand has made strides internationally under AB InBev's watch. Budweiser sold outside the U.S. now represents 51% of global Bud volume driven by strong growth in China” (Forbes.com).

Budweiser has been around for about 150 years, and its popularity continues to grow. This is what happens when you brand your product so that it is memorable.