Sure, craft beers and independent breweries may offer a better selection. Some would even argue a better product.
But when was the last time that a small beverage business managed to tap the likes of Kendrick Lamar and The Hold Steady for a "never-before-seen live music event" or gave away over 500,000 in music-related prizes via specially marked packages throughout a summer-long marketing campaign?
Crickets.
UPDATE It's just been announced that Metric will be headlining Bud Light Music First Tour's 50/50/1 at Fillmore Miami Beach.
This summer, music fans and light beer aficionados can enter to win everything from digital downloads to tickets for Bud Light's 50/50/1 tour, a "50 Concerts, 50 States, 1 Day" concert event to wrap the beer brand's season-long Bud Light Music First program.
"With Bud Light Music First, we're working with an amazing collection of artists and partners to ensure every adult fan can experience music in fun, interesting ways," Bud Light VP Rob McCarthy tells New Times in an email. "Whether it's using our Music First app for a chance to win one of more than half-a-million prizes, visiting our Myspace hub for exclusive content, or attending one of the 50/50/1 concerts, Bud Light is set to be every music fan's source for Music Firsts this summer."
That's what McCarthy hopes for.
According to Billboard, Bud Light spent nearly $300 million in advertising last year, up from $270 million in 2011. Though Anheuser Busch hasn't provided specifics, it's likely they'll spend even more in 2013. The American beer giant will rely heavily on the Music First campaign in the third-quareter, tapping all its resources in effort to remain the country's best-selling brew.
"Doing a bunch of little things doesn't add up," Budweiser VP of Marketing Paul Chibe recently told Billboard. "What you want to do is have the opportunity to do something that can reach a large audience and in a global way and be something that we an scale across the country. This is a perfect example of something that we can do and bring this kind of experience to our drinker."
While artists for the Miami portion of the "50/50/1" concert have yet to be announced, big names like the Flaming Lips, Coheed and Cambria, Best Coast, and Drive-By Truckers have already been announced in other cities. And a Bud Light brand representative tells New Times that organizers are signing artists each day.
We say ... Daleee!
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