Prior to its acquisition by inBev, Anheuser-Busch was seeing immense competition from the import segment. To combat this they developed a product that appealed to consumers who loved traditional imports such as Heineken, Beck’s and Grolsch. Our agency alongside Deutsch was tasked with building a brand identity to impress an upscale audience of high-end import drinkers. With Deutsch focused on developing primary and secondary packaging, my team began to develop the brand’s story. The result was a sophisticated, worldly look that positioned Anheuser World Select as a super-premium select beer that took years of craftsmanship to create.
We developed a roll-out across multiple media channels in five key test markets. One of the most visible aspects was a take-over of the digital boards Times Square Reuters building.
The initial introduction was wildly successful, and several of the test markets weren’t able to keep up with demand, and actually ran out of product. With some of the media already purchased we ran special ads playing up the high demand of the Anheuser World Select.
With successful test markets in the bag, Anheuser-Busch began a national product launch. Initial media included sponsorship of the popular television series the World Poker Tour, as well as, OOH, and On and Off premise merchandising.
Ultimately the fate of Anheuser World Select was sealed in early 2008 when Anheuser-Busch began its merger and integration with InBev, which allowed access to distribute the already market dominant brands of Beck’s and Grolsch.
The Anheuser World Select Campaign received a Silver Summit International Award in 2007.
The campaign was rolled out to market across OOH, Print, Television, and On and Off premise merchandising mediums.