Budweiser reimagines Halloween mugshots for 'Drink Wiser' campaign

Dive Brief:

Budweiser has refreshed its "Drink Wiser" responsible drinking campaign for Halloween, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. As part of the campaign, the AB InBev brand reimagined the costumed mugshots of real people who have been arrested for irresponsible drinking on Halloween.
The beer brand is encouraging Halloween revelers to follow @BudweiserUSA on Twitter to receive tweet notifications for real-time reminders to hydrate between beers. Budweiser is also giving out $5 Lyft gift cards to people that buy Budweiser between Oct. 21 and Nov. 1 on the alcohol e-commerce site Drizly, in participating markets.
The campaign will run on social media and digital out-of-home (OOH) with the tagline, "Don’t Let Halloween Haunt You Forever." The OOH ads will run in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Dive Insight:

Anheuser-Busch debuted Budweiser’s "Drink Wiser" program last year, promoting moderate drinking and encouraging drinkers to "hydrate between Buds." This iteration of the campaign focuses on Halloween, which has become a major drinking holiday over the years. The use of reimagined mugshots of real people brings authenticity and a sense of dark humor to the campaign that could help the brand engage with millennial consumers. Likewise, the Twitter notification element could help connect the brand with mobile-first consumers.

The purpose-driven initiative takes on drunk driving and promotes general healthy habits such as drinking in moderation and planning ahead for safe rides. By giving out Lyft gift cards, the brand can show that its commitment to safe drinking is not just a tagline on an ad, or an instance of woke-washing.

Budweiser has been in the cause marketing space for ages. The company launched its first effort in this area, “Budweiser Means Moderation,” more than 100 years ago, according to press materials. The brand's "Know When to Say When" campaign was a popular 1980s effort starring basketball star Patrick Ewing.

This push from Budweiser comes are more brands are stepping up their social responsibility and cause-driven marketing efforts. Ninety percent of millennials said they would buy from a brand that instills social and environmental practices within their company model, according to research from Gartner Iconoculture, and another 95% of this demographic will recommend that brand to a friend.