Dive Brief:

• Bud Light will again be taking over a U.S. town this year for its "Whatever, USA" contest that brings in 1,000 fans for a weekend party.
• According to parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev SA Chief Executive Carlos Brito, last year's stunt was a "major success" that reached 90% of Bud Light's core demographic of 21- to 27-year olds.
• Over the next two months, Bud Light will be rolling out a series of promotion efforts at bars, events, and retail outlets with free samples to encourage millennials to submit applications for Whatever, USA. Last year 200,000 applied and Brito wants to hit 500,000 this year. 

Dive Insight: 

Despite some raised eyebrows over the idea, the weekend in Crested Butte, CO went well—until major flight delays and marijuana busts became a PR nightmare that overshadowed the event. According to the Wall Street Journal blog, Bud Light plans to space flights out this year to avoid the same problems. It's clear that Anheuser-Busch InBev has a huge marketing challenge ahead of them as millennials continue to pick craft brews over Bud Light, so it will be worth watching to see if throwing a huge yearly party will be enough to entice a younger crowd to drink the beer.