Is Bud Light‘s focus on entertainment experiences the reason the brand has been struggling?
That’s a question we think is fair to ask after the Anheuser-Busch brand announced “the latest addition to the brand’s portfolio of music programming with Bud Light Getaway, a multi-genre one-day summer hangout bringing more than 3,000 music fans and friends closer to their favorite artists.”
Think of that: A grand total of 3,000 people at the event. And ABI is spending money – a ton, we’d suspect – for the entertainers: Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist Sam Hunt, world-renowned rock band Dashboard Confessional, Atlanta’s own Grammy-winning rapper and DJ, Lil Jon and rising star, Harry Hudson.
But, surely, you say, whatever those entertainers and their retinue cost must be offset by revenue from ticket sales. After all, A-B’s parent, Anheuser-Busch InBev is known for squeezing a nickel until the buffalo squeals.
Well, no. All proceeds on purchased tickets being donated to the Surfrider Grand Strand Chapter which helps maintain and preserves beaches in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area where the event will be held Saturday, July 14.
Maybe this sort of event, along with things like the Bud Light Hotel concept, does sell beer. Or maybe Bud Light should simply increase its advertising. That’s pretty much what Michelob Ultra has done. And Michelob Ultra is growing.