Dive Brief:

• Busch beer is taking its presence at many weddings a step further, by ordaining spokesperson "Busch Guy" to perform a wedding and by awarding $25,000 — the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. — to a lucky couple, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
• Busch Guy explains it all in a campaign video. The campaign builds on the mileage the beer already gets on social media, with frequent photo tagging in wedding shots and requests for Busch sponsorship of weddings, according to the press release.
• To win the prize, any engaged couple in the 50 U.S. states can post to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram between May 20 and May 31 about why they want to get married by Busch Guy, tag it with #BuschWeddings and #Contest, or complete an online entry or follow instructions on the brand's wedding-focused Pinterest page.

Dive Insight:

Last fall, Busch parent company Anheuser-Busch outlined a strategy to counter the slide in U.S. beer consumption. Since most consumers know the company's brands, which also include Michelob and Bud Light, the goal is to create lasting impressions that go beyond traditional ads and sponsorships by creating culturally-relevant experiences. In this wedding-themed campaign, Busch beer is combining the participation of a spokesperson with a modern social media campaign that relies heavily on user-generated content.

By doing so, Busch can simultaneously drive several goals. It can help make Busch Guy — who was introduced in 2017 — into a more recognizable character. The wedding contest could easily become an annual event, boosting the beer's self-proclaimed status as a wedding drink, and it could boost Busch's presence in the countless wedding photos and videos shot and shared by smartphone cameras every year.

Additionally, since Pinterest is frequently used to share wedding ideas and memories, Busch's presence on the social media platform helps position the beer as a choice for wedding planners. Pinterest, which has worked to make itself more shoppable and advertiser-friendly, has seen brands like David's Bridal use its platform for wedding-related campaigns.

This campaign is the latest effort by Busch to tap fan's enthusiasm with social media campaigns and contests. The brand in March celebrated Major League Baseball's regular season by sponsoring 10 recreational-league softball teams, with prizes that included cash awards and special hometown billboards. Previously, Busch marked its 40-year presence at NASCAR's Daytona 500 race with a live trivia game on Twitter.