Ready for the Big Time?

Is Budweiser flexing its brand muscles because they can or do they recognize the power of their brand to help others realize their dream of making it big?

Regardless of the answer, Budweiser announced this week they are launching a reality TV show, “Bud United Presents: The Big Time.” The show’s premise (from a non-brand strategy point of view) is to showcase young individuals with a dream (such as becoming a pitcher or racecar driver) being mentored and coached by one of the world’s best in their respective area. Budweiser is leveraging their brand relationships with sports leagues, celebrities, etc. to help young adults achieve their dreams.

For Budweiser though this is more than helping individuals reach their dreams, it is an opportunity for one of the top consumer brands to enter unchartered waters by being the first alcohol brand to sponsor a TV show. From a brand strategy standpoint Budweiser’s goal is to go beyond traditional product placement, and extend their global brand platform to celebrating and anticipating great times…at the hand of Budweiser.

Budweiser sponsorships include sporting leagues, musical festivals, and even the US Military, spearheading a reality TV is certainly a new sponsorship endeavor for the major brand, and an interesting one at that. If successful, it will show that Budweiser as a brand has the ability and power to extend past their niche and touch a new market, and if successful could be compared to other major brands, like Starbucks, who recently extended past their niche and into music and food.

It is interesting to note that this announcement comes at a time in the beer industry when craft brewery sales have consistently been on the rise over the last couple years, and are slowly chipping away at Budweiser’s enormous market share. Which brings me back to the question at the beginning of this post, Is Budweiser flexing its brand muscles to show others that they are still the kings of the industry, or because they recognize the power of their brand to help others realize their dream of making it big?