Introduction
Currently, Bud Light is recognized as the “King of Beers in the US” (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016, para. 1). This beer outsells all of its competitors with impressive statistics – one out of every four beer bottles sold in the United States is Bud Light (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). As a brand, Bud Light competes within a densely populated industry where the rivals are aggressive and skilled. However, the brand manages to remain on top of the competition and overcome all the challenges imposed by the rivals.
Brand Development
Ever since 1957 and up to 2011, Budweiser (the brand from which Bud Light originates) has been the best selling beer brand in the world; after 2011, it was overtaken by a new Chinese domestic brand (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). The brand was launched in 1982, and its initial name was Budweiser Light. Soon, it managed to become the most popular beer of the Budweiser family steadily taking over all of its main competitors (Budweiser brands included). In 2015, the off-trade sales revenues of Bud Light estimated as large as 6.15 billion dollars (not counting the incomes gained by the beers sold by bars and restaurants) (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). The victorious path of Bud Light was not without losses and falls. For example, in 1988, it has experienced a significant decline in revenues which made it drop to the second rank in the list of the best-seller beers of the United States. Another decline occurred in 2009 after a peak in 2008, this year-by-year rise and fall pattern used to be quite typical for the brand.
Marketing
The marketing campaigns of the brand have become a significant part of its image due to its memorability and unconventional approach (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). For instance, the most recent series of advertisements features the Bud Light Party (a likening to a political party competing during the elections). The advertisement employs multiple celebrities known and loved among the Millennial generation, in particular, some of the most significant roles in the commercials are given to Amy Schumer, Seth Rogen, and Michael Pena (Fromm, 2014). The advertisements are done in a comedic and sharp manner with the involvement of multiple relevant concepts such as the upcoming Presidential elections in the United States, references to the pop culture objects, and common social arguments. As a result, one may conclude that the brand image of Bud Light is skillfully constructed based on the social relatedness and thorough research of the interests and needs of the customer base.
Distribution
Even though the domestic market of the US is the primary source of revenue for Bud Light, this brand is distributed in about seventy other countries (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). One of the largest distributors of the brand is China where it is sold by seventy different wholesalers in forty regions (Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile, 2016). The diversity of the cultures and markets in which Bud Light has expanded over the years has caused some challenges for the brand name that had to be changed in some countries.
Conclusion
Bud Light is the beer number one in the United States, and also one of the top global competitors in the industry with massive revenue. Bud Light is recognized for its powerful and aggressive marketing campaigns that involve multiple American celebrities and popular concepts in order to appeal to the Millennial generation that currently represents the largest sector of Bud Light’s customer base (Fromm, 2014).
References
Budweiser Bud Light: Brand Profile. (2016). Web.
Fromm, J. (2014). The Secret to Bud Light’s Millennial Marketing Success. Web.