Brewing a storm

A salute to people who pursue their ambition, exercise their freedom and establish their authenticity— that’s what Budweiser’s new campaign is all about.  Called “Brewed the Hard Way”, it celebrates stories that endorse the brand’s core values through three short videos starring Indian football striker Robin Singh, musician Sahej Bakshi and designer Masaba Gupta.

Zeroing in on these faces for the campaign though took a lot of effort, shares Vineet Sharma, associate marketing director, AB InBev, India. “We wanted to showcase incredible stories of people who embody our values and who share the same appreciation for their craft, just like we do,” he says.

An extension of its global campaign, Sharma says of the Indian series, “All of them have interesting stories that truly inspire people to be free, authentic and ambitious in their lives.”

Mark McDonald, senior creative director, DigitasLBi says that they had their work cut out with the campaign for the famed lager brand. “Our job was not just to establish these brand values in India with the right local context, but to do so in a manner that connected and resonated with Budweiser’s core target audience,” he says.

The response for the campaign online, Sharma says, has been truly humbling. “Within a week of launch, the series has clocked nearly 450,000 views and garnered over 4,000 reactions,” he adds.

The digital campaign will be on for two months while the brand will conduct events to further promote it.