Bud Light’s got bottle

Bud Light introduces new 300ml bottle a year after UK launch

Bud Light, one of the latest additions to AB InBev’s premium beer portfolio – and the biggest ever brand launch by AB InBev UK – has announced the arrival of a new bottle format.

The 300ml bottle will be rolling out across grocery and convenience from the end of February 2018, using the same iconic design and branding as the can format which arrived in the UK in March last year. The bottle will also appear in selected outlets to complement the Bud Light on-trade offering.

Since hitting UK shores, Bud Light has tapped into the growing trend of alcohol moderation amongst health-conscious consumers – a trend being driven by millennials.In the off-trade, beer under 3.5% ABV has grown 37.2% in volume and 46.4% in value over the past year.^[1]

Enjoying a high purchase rate among a millennial audience of 18-25 year olds, Bud Light has been the main driver of growth in the core lager category, with one in 10 Bud Light buyers new to beer (9.3% are new to beer and 13.2% are new to lager).^[2] It also holds a strong repeat purchase rate of 29%,^[3] nearly double to what is expected of a new brand and indicative of its growing fan base.

Forty-three per cent of UK beer drinkers only drink bottled beer,^[4] as opposed to other formats such as cans, meaning the new Bud Light bottle will help retailers and outlets to tap into this audience, whilst giving the remaining 57% further choice for different occasions.

The launch will be supported by a fully-integrated marketing campaign that celebrates the brand’s light-hearted personality. This includes TV advertising, out-of-home sites, PR and social media activations – all centred around the latest phrase taking the US by storm, ‘Dilly Dilly’. The campaign is a lively, dramatic ode to Bud Light all themed around the medieval era, with the aim to inject fun into our daily lives.

Andre Amaral, Marketing Manager, Bud Light, commented: “Following the success of Bud Light’s launch in the UK last year, we look forward to continuing the expansion of this exciting brand with the new bottle format. As a brand that’s responding to the evolving preferences of today’s consumer – for a beer with a lighter taste, fewer calories and lower ABV – we want to provide our consumers with a wider choice of pack formats to suit different occasions and needs..

“The ATL campaign also highlights the significant investment we’re putting behind the brand, at a time where low and no alcohol beer is becoming increasingly popular and in high demand.”

[1] Nielsen Scantrack Total Coverage data to 27.01.18

[2] 104 w/e Beer Data, Kantar Worldpanel

[3] 44 w/e 31/12/17 Beer data, Kantar Worldpanel

[4] Kantar Worldpanel 2017