Budweiser Makes Me Ribbit

I have a hard time drinking a Bud without reciting the famous 1995 "Bud" "Weis" "er" Frog commercial in my best frog voice. Considering my poor memory and minimal TV viewing, this says a lot about the impact of that commercial. However, if you are like me and tune into the Superbowl purely for the commercials, then you already know how catchy the Budweiser commercials can be. (My dad hopes every year they will bring the Bud bowl back.) Anheuser-Busch knows how to get consumers to remember their products. And now I know how they do it. Last month I had the opportunity to attend an editor's meeting at the Anheuser-Busch headquarters in St. Louis. The purpose of the event was to share some of the company's research and its agenda for 2014, and beyond. While I obviously can not tell you what they have planned (wouldn't you like to know), I can tell you that it will be, as always, memorable. Through its research, the company has seemingly limitless consumer data to apply to its merchandising plans. The company's officials demonstrated how they apply it to various outlets, specifically retail. The result is a big shift in the company's in-store approach. This was the most interesting part of the meeting, in my opinion. The entire discussion was not about growing A-B brands, but boosting category sales as a whole. A-B wants to see retailers sales grow, now only get their line of products into shopper's hands. The company also let us meander through its Retail Lab, where it brings its merchandising ideas into fruition and then invites retailers and industry players to give it a test run and provide feedback. There were some very interesting cross-merchandising possibilities in the works that had me very excited. [Insert hint I am not allowed to give you here.] Beyond the learning, the editors had the chance to connect with the brand through a beer-pairing meal and tour of the brewery, including the famous Budweiser Clydesdales. (See photos from the brewery tour below.) It was an incomparable insight into one of America's oldest and most well-known brands. On my way home I texted two of my girlfriends to tell them I had "met" the Budweiser Clydesdales. They both replied asking, "Did you meet the baby who grew up found his owner?" See... the commercials really work. Here are some photos from the brewery tour... [portfolio_slideshow id=24099]