Anheuser-Busch recently added consumer-generated videos to its Bud Light "Dude" campaign. But was it a successful brew or did it merely water down the brand?
Dude? (Do you live in a cave?)
If you haven't seen any of the ubiquitous Bud Light "Dude" commercials, you may not understand the following commentary: "Dude?" But imagine this monosyllabic line being delivered by a twenty-something, ex-frat guy-looking "dude" with equal measures of disbelief, disappointment and slacker cool, and you've got a better understanding of what it means. Now, envision this line -- and only this line -- repeated with multiple inflections and intonations as a reaction to a variety of daily circumstances in the dude's life.
The word communicates anything and everything from, "You're sitting too close to me on the couch" to "I can't believe my flight has been cancelled" to "Check it out -- it's Fox announcer Joe Buck" to "I'm totally bummed that the stadium beer concession closed before I could order another Bud Light."
Now, you've got a pretty good idea of what the whole "Dude" campaign is about.
The campaign's ads, like past Bud Light campaigns such as "Whassup?" and "I Love You, Man," are humorous, topical and aimed primarily at young men of drinking age. But this time around, Anheuser-Busch decided to take things a step further by offering up its popular campaign to the general public. And the results were impressive -- even by Bud Light standards.
Dude. (Submit an entry)
The offering took place in the form of a call for entries of consumer-generated "Dude" ads. Creators of the videos selected by Anheuser-Busch would be paid $5,000 each for their efforts. Along with the cash, they'd also get exposure in a highly visible online ad campaign. Bud Light would get fresh video content for a very reasonable price. Brokering the deal was XLNTads, a Philadelphia-based company that specializes in connecting brands with a network of over 5,000 video creators.
[Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, it should be pointed out that iMedia's founder and CEO is also a founder of and investor in XLNTads.]