3. Bud Light's Corn Syrup-Fueled Ad War, with Neil Caskey from the National Corn Growers Association, Paul Gatza from the Brewers Association, and Kyle Brown
Anheuser-Busch picks a fight it's sure to win, until the little guys band together for a beat-down.
Lead Balloon - Marketing, Public Relations and Strategic Communications Stories · Dusty Weis
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Show Notes
During Super Bowl LIII in 2019, Bud Light launched a new advertising strategy that was... unconventional, even for them.
HEADS UP: We remastered this episode, adding new perspectives, follow-up and... well, we just all-around made it better.
Instead of frogs or "wazzap" guys or silly superstitions, this campaign focused on attacking Bud Light's rivals for using corn syrup to brew their beers. Stranger still, outside observers noted that the beer giant borrowed other conventions from the world of political mudslinging, twisting facts, doubling down on vague talking points and attempting to build a consensus against Miller Lite and Coors Light.
But the brewing barons at Anheuser-Busch didn't count on the little guys... specifically, members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) who took exception to the attacks and rallied to the defense of MillerCoors.
In this episode, Neil Caskey from the NCGA recounts the tale of their beer war with Bud Light, Paul Gatza from the Brewers Association explains why big brewers are feeling the pinch and might resort to such infighting, and Kyle Brown helps break down the ultimate failures of "the Corn Syrup Offensive."
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