Dive Brief:

• Bud Light launched a multichannel campaign this week highlighting the beer's Texas roots. The "Brewed Deep in the Heart" effort features a partnership with Texas musicians Siggno and Josh Abbott Band to celebrate the more than 30 years the beer has been brewed in Houston, according to a press release from the company.
• The campaign includes out-of-home events and TV, digital and radio commercials in both English and Spanish, as well as special-edition cans featuring the iconic Texas Lone Star and a cutout of the state on the tabs. A commercial showing a brewery employee branding cans with the Lone Star debuted regionally on Feb. 12, with more TV spots set to run later this year.
• Josh Abbott Band re-recorded the state's iconic song, "Deep in the Heart of Texas," for one of Bud Light's regional commercials. In return, the beer brand will sponsor the band's "Brewed Deep in the Heart" state-wide tour and Siggno's 100-show "Monster Tour" throughout the spring.

Dive Insight:

In its latest attempt to address beer lovers' changing tastes, Bud Light is taking a local approach with a Texas-focused campaign honoring the beer brand's origins. By showing off its Houston-based brewing facility and adding relevant state imagery to its packaging, the beer brand hopes to score points with beer drinkers interested in locally made craft beers. 

While Bud Light sales are dropping, the brand has had a recent marketing success with the nonsensical rallying cry "dilly dilly" that appears in ads also targeting craft beer fans and which has become a viral sensation. Most recently, it jabbed at these consumers in a trilogy of ads, where the party attendees who ordered complex drinks like spiced mead wine, were punished. Another campaign last summer focused on the simplicity of the ingredients in Bud Light versus the pretentiousness of craft beer by serving a wedge of cheese on the rim of the glass.

The brand is complementing the national dilly dilly strategy with a more local approach in Texas, which is an important market for Bud Light, Andy Goeler, the brand's vice president of marketing, said in the press release. Bud Light's largest brewery is in Houston and employs more than 600 Texans. Harnessing Texans' state pride is a nice touch for the regional campaign, instilling a dash of personalization to the effort. The partnership with local musicians and special recording of an iconic song for the state could also help drive brand buzz on social media.