Remember the “I love you man” ad campaign for Bud Light? I was visiting my daughter at college for “Mom’s Weekend” the past couple of days and it came up while we were discussing the current attitude on campus regarding the brand. I mistakenly thought those ads were from 10 or 15 years ago, but just checked and they were from the mid-90s – which makes me feel almost as old as a mom hanging out with a bunch of college kids at a campus bar.
Anyway, I shared with her how a colleague mentioned they were receiving a free case of beer from a distributor as a thank you. I jokingly predicted the case would be Bud Light – and it turned out I was right.
Saturday evening, my daughter and I were approached by a Bud Light beer rep who offered us two free cans of their Seltzer for a “promotion.” We accepted them without really thinking about it but then, in silent agreement, set them to the side of the table — where they remained unopened and unsnagged by any of the hundreds of thirsty college kids who walked by.
You know the brand has taken a hit when they can’t even give the stuff away for free on a college campus. Maybe instead of the hollow effort to woo their customers back with Clydesdales and flags, they should resurrect the “I love you man” ads with the tagline: “You’re still getting my Bud Light.”
This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Monday, April 24th. Audio included below.
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