...and now a new can

In a new marketing move Budweiser announced yesterday a new can for their flagship beer Bud, http://consumerist.com/2013/04/17/budweiser-worked-really-hard-on-bow-tie-can-shape-because-other-beers-are-so-hard-to-hold/ .InBev has designed a can that is in a bowtie shape to better match their Budweiser logo.  It is nothing more than a marketing move to sell more beer.  They are aiming this can to the loyal Budweiser drinker.  The funny thing is that the can is actually smaller and will be sold in 8 packs, so this means the typical Budweiser drinker will probably pay more for less.  I am sure that most of them will not care, because they have a "cool" new can to drink from. 

This is just another example of InBev tackling the continued decline of sales of macro-brewed beer while Craft beer continues to grow by double digits.  It is unfortunate for InBev that they have concentrated on making beers that are pretty much bland and tasteless, while there is a movement towards beer that has flavor and variety.  Another approach InBev has used is to purchase Craft breweries and maintain those brands as "independent" to cash in on the Craft beer growth.  This has had some success, like making Goose Island available throughout the United States.

When I go into a liquor store I can not help but wonder why there are so many different packages of Budweiser, Bud Light and so on.  Then I realize what it is all about, market share and making the macro-beer drinker feel unique.  All of the packages help individualize the drinking experience for the macro-beer drinker, that way they feel that they are not drinking the same beer as everyone else when they actually are.  That is what marketing is all about for the macro-breweries.

QC Beer Guy