Brief:

• Busch beer partnered with the National Forest Foundation on a social media-powered scavenger hunt. On Sept. 25, the beer brand will mark six trees in national forests across the U.S. with medallions and share clues of their whereabouts on Busch's social channels, according to a statement shared with Mobile Marketer.
• The first person to use the clues to locate and post a photo of one of the six marked trees will win a year of free Busch beer.
• Busch's contest is part of a broader push to support the NFF's work to protect the 193 million acres of national forests. The Anheuser-Busch brand also is packaging beer in specially marked Outdoors cases of Bush and Busch Light, and this month will donate a penny of each sale up to $175,000 to the foundation, according to MediaPost.

Insight:

Busch's scavenger hunt not only promotes the brand on social media — with potential to go viral — but also highlights the company's social responsibility to the environment with its partnership with the NFF. The tie-up seems well placed, as the foundation works to protect forests and watersheds for the public while contributing to the production of high-quality beer with sources of clean water.

Scavenger hunts have become a popular way to provide consumers with an entertaining experience that helps to deepen their connection to a brand. Big brands like Hyundai, Disney, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Unilever and more all have conducted similar hunts to promote their products over the past few years. Some of the scavenger hunts are very advanced in their use of geotargeting technology to lead players to complete tasks or to find physical game pieces or augmented reality (AR) objects that can only be seen with a smartphone camera. By sharing the clues on social media, Busch is smartly encouraging people to follow its accounts, driving active participation in the hunt and opening up communication channels for after the hunt concludes.

Anheuser-Busch is among the beverage brands whose marketing campaigns increasingly emphasize real-world experiences that boost brand engagement and positive associations with a brand, especially among younger adults who are active on social media and are increasingly moving away from traditional beverage brands. In the past year, liquor brands including Pernod Ricard's Glenlivet, Rémy Martin, Patrón tequila, Diageo's Bulleit Bourbon, Kilchoman , Ole Smoky Distillery and D'ussé cognac have developed smartphone-based campaigns that include interactive experiences that aim to prolong brand exposure. These experiences typically try to cut through the social media clutter and improve brand recall among ad-fatigued consumers.