Sponsor (Apr-June 1964)

Normally, details of a $15-million advertising effort arc top secret. Anheuser-Busch finds that it gets extra mileage for its Budweiser beer campaigns, however, by sharing its strategy and goals. With both the advertiser and its agency, D'Arcy Advertising, agreeing to an "open-door, answer-allq nest ions" policy, SPONSOR recently covered the two-day briefing for Bud's 1964 campaign. The two-part report that follows in this issue and next chronicles what SPONSOR saw, heard and asked. Although some SPONSOR questions fell into areas usually marked "sensitive," no questions were ducked. Here, then, is the blueprint of Budweiser 's 1964 advertising approach. Brewery spokesmen call it "the greatest sales promotion in America." And they may be right. The Pick a Pair campaign is a masterfully articulated marketing machine that leaves little — except the color of the customers' socks — to chance. It meshes sales, advertising, promotion, merchandising, wholesalers, retailers and media people into one huge cooperative effort. Everybody gets into the act, and everybody's welcome. Normally, a campaign of this magnitude is considered top secret. And to a point Anheuser-Busch is security-conscious, too. Nevertheless, the brewery invites media representatives to an annual get-together. And what happens there is unparalleled among national advertisers. In a fast-moving, tell-all session, top Bud executives and leading officials from their agency, D'Arcy Advertising Co. of St. Louis, give guests the real inside track on objectives, strategy and details. Illl OBJECTIVE The objective of the Pick a Pair promotion is the same as in previous years, but the over-all message that Anheuser is attempting to get across this year is more complicated than those o\' the past. Boiled down, it follows these words of John ('. Maeheea, D'Arcj vice president and account executive 20 who. with A. J. Amendola, head of field marketing, directs the 8 regional account executives: "We know Budweiser is a better beer. It is brewed from the finest ingredients available. Every ounce of it is naturally carbonated. And we still use the beechwood method of brewing, which is the timehonored, European way of making beer. We also know that it costs more money to brew Budweiser this way, and we proudly make such statements right on the label." Budweiser's emphasis, then, is on the product. With key phrases like "The label tells you why," consumers will be urged to read the label (which has been revised slightly to emphasize brewing methods). "That Bud — that's beer!" is the key theme this year, supported by 'King of beers." "Only Budweiser and Michelob are beechwood aged." and "The label and the taste.'" Themes will be used interchangeably in all media and, says Maeheea, "anything we do in one medium will he reinforced by what we c\o in all the others. nil SALES GOAL I he sales goal hasn't always been SO neatly put in place, however. When Pick a Pair started in 1957 as Budweiser's effort to promote their best-selling package still farther. .Anheuser-Busch and its chief rival, Schlitz, were fighting for fir: place in the beer sweepstakes. Eac was rolling* out 6 million barrel In the following month, the tw battled it out, pretty much neck-tc' neck. The Bud suggestion to buy doubl proved a click, however, and by th end of 1958 Anheuser had near! reached the 7-million mark, i Schlitz yielded sales and slipped t 5,893.000 barrels. Last year, Ar heuser continued the forward tren it's followed ever since, selling 9 397,224 barrels, by far the majc portion of which was Budweisc' (see chart I). It's also interesting to considi Bud sales in terms of calendar yeai' (see chart II). In the last 30 year for example, annual volume h; multiplied 15-fold, to rise from scant 607,000 barrels to an enoi' mous 9-million-plus. (The change i dollar volume has been even moi impressive — from Si 5 million t1 $343.5 million.) Sales growth was steady, if slov right up to World War II, wrier in 1941, activity pretty much levele off at the 3-miilion -barrel rate. Tf end of the war in 1945 resulted i slight backpacing as militan oriented consumption was channele back into civilian patterns. In fac it wasn't until several years late that sales were climbing steadi again and really exceeded 4 millio barrels a year. Then, in 1949, came commerci television. From 4 million barrel output jumped to 4.5 by yi end — then two years later to 5 million. The foam was rising in tl stein and the company was me: While Anheuser's share-of-ma ket has changed impressively] market itself isn't that all ela however. Major sales increa come, not so much from totally ne to-beer consumers (the teen an college crowd, mostly) but competition's share (i.e., by w; ning steady customers over to voi label from some one else's). Th; makes for hot competition and busj ness can. as the\ sa\ . be tricky. W hile Anheuser isn't out to tig! a beer war by any means at all. it well aware of the need to establi — and maintain — identity in a sonr times fast-shifting market. And company officers are ever tempt to bask in the security of their cu SPONSO