Brief:
- Beer brand Busch is asking social media users to share their versions of its 1980s jingle for a chance to win $10,000 and to hear their interpretations in a commercial, according to details shared with Mobile Marketer. To inspire fans to make a recording, country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus posted his version of the "Head for the Mountains" on his Twitter account.
- Busch and Cyrus will choose the winner of the contest, who will receive a 15-minute coaching session with the singer. The AB InBev brand is asking entrants to follow its accounts on either Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, where they can submit their version of the jingle in an audio or video file.
- The entries must include the #HeadForTheMountains and #Contest hashtags for a chance to win. The contest began on June 23 and ends on July 5, per the contest rules.
Insight:
Busch's latest contest bets that consumer nostalgia for the brand's past advertising jingles will spur people to generate content of their own and post it to social media. By enlisting Billy Ray Cyrus for the campaign, Busch can potentially reach a broader audience of fans who may not follow its brand accounts online.
The "Head for the Mountains" effort arrives ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend — typically a huge period for beer sales. However, some of that sales boost could be offset this year by the coronavirus pandemic, which has prevented large gatherings of people and canceled many of the larger celebrations.
Ever thought about bringing back this jingle @BuschBeer? #spokesperson https://t.co/ACQq7rI7D9 pic.twitter.com/3e6Okbe2wx
— Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) June 23, 2020
Other brands have recently turned to fans and followers to produce content that can be applied to advertising, as regular production remains shuttered amid the pandemic. In a similar promotion from May, fast-food chain Popeyes called on out-of-work musicians to re-record its jingle, "Love That Chicken," for use in the brand's communication on TV, radio and digital. Contributing artists were compensated for their work.
In other ways, the Cyrus-led push lines up with recent advertising efforts from Busch and sister brand Busch Light, which have been active on social media this year with a variety of contests and promotions aimed at homebound consumers. Busch earlier this month created a jigsaw puzzle with a photo of its spokesperson Busch Guy, and gave fans a chance to win an outdoor vacation.
Busch Light in May celebrated the return of NASCAR racing with a contest that gave Twitter users a chance to see their faces painted on the stock car sponsored by the beer brand. In March, Busch also began livestreaming a trivia game show on Facebook to entertain fans while also raising money for bartenders facing financial hardship during the pandemic. The brand additionally gave couples that have had to change their wedding plans due to the new coronavirus a chance to win a year's worth of Busch.
Busch's campaign comes as bars and restaurants are gradually reopening from lockdowns imposed during the early stages of the pandemic. However, alcohol marketers now face a setback as several states including California, Texas and Florida order bars to close again amid a new surge in coronavirus cases.
The lockdowns have led some consumers to buy beer to consume at home, but that doesn't make up for the loss of restaurant and bar sales. U.S. beer volumes are forecast to slide 3.7% in 2020, the fifth straight yearly drop, per an IWSR Drinks Market Analysis estimate cited by Bloomberg News.
