Tuesday 22 December 2009

BUDWEISER GETS MOBILE



Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing conglomerate, ran mobile ads for its Bud Light Lime brand on the Weather Channel’s mobile site and within its iPhone application to promote its mobile initiatives.

Ads included videos and click-to-Bud Light WAP sites and the Apple App Store. The iPhone application banner ads were expandable ad units, so a user can touch the ad to expand it to take up a majority of the screen on the device, featuring a video that played within the ad unit that conveyed being on the beach and having a Bud.

“The idea was to promote Bud Light during the key summer months, with The Weather Channel iPhone application providing an exclusive opportunity and audience reach,” said the Vice President of mobile for The Weather Channel Interactive, Atlanta.  “Several creative executions rotated with important seasonal messages about Bud Light Lime and Bud Light’s Port Paradise promotion”.


The strategy behind The Weather Channel ad-supported app for iPhone was to make the top weather app even more useful while still remaining free for consumers.  It’s clear that Mobile customers respond to superior products and services---with more than 6.5 million downloads.   The Weather Channel application is now the top weather application in the Apple App Store, and its rich media expandable 320x40/300 ad unit offers a breakthrough creative execution.

Many of the banners in Bud Light Lime’s campaign drove consumers to the company’s Bud Light Lime Summer Hotspots iPhone Application. The application helps consumers locate hot spots in their area where they can cool off with a Bud Light Lime during the summer.  Also, consumers were driven to http://www.budlightlime.com/m/budlime.


Ads within the iPhone application also promoted Bud Light’s Paradise sweepstakes. Consumers were asked to text the keyword CRUISE to short code 23377 (BEERS) for a chance to win a cruise.

Bud Light’s adult consumers are heavy users of the mobile Web and 92 percent of TWC’s iPhone application users are 21 years of age or older.  The app is a great benefit to users and advertisers alike – opening the doors for expandable ads, click to video, GPS and more – all without sacrificing user experience.