Will a craft beer and vintage cars persuade Millennials to drink Budweiser?

This week AB InBev announced the launch of a limited-edition brew - Budweiser 1933 Repeal Reserve.  To draw attention to the product, AB InBev is partnering with Lyft today.  Call between 3 pm and 7 pm for a 15 minute ride in a vintage car (first-come, first-served). (Lukovitz, 2017)

The campaign also includes a tv ad (below). And dizly.com is offering $5 off on first purchases. (Oster, 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oaChE-yc4

Since 44% of 20-somethings have never even tried Budweiser, AB InBev needed to do something new.  Their "America" rebrand last summer was a flop because it only drew attention to the fact that the brand is owned by a European company.  (Bhattarai, 2017)

And U.S. sales were down another 1.3% in the first half of 2017. (Nurin, 2017)

But is this the solution?  Will a limited edition craft beer appeal to Millennials?  What persuasion techniques is AB InBev employing?  What type of people might be interested?  Which preferences? Why?  What about rides in vintage cars?  How will these impact sales?  Is NYC the right place to offer them?

Lukovitz, K. (2017, October 23) Budweiser Gets Crafty With Limited-Edition 1933 Repeal Reserve.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved October 24, 2017, from

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/309162/budweiser-gets-crafty-with-limited-edition-1933-re.html?edition=105780

Oster, E. (2017, October 24)  Why Budweiser Is Teaming Up With Lyft to Deploy a Fleet of Classic Cars From the 1930s. adweek.com.  Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-budweiser-is-teaming-up-with-lyft-to-deploy-a-fleet-of-classic-cars-from-the-1930s/

Bhattarai, A. (2017, May 28)  The maker of Bud Light is investing $2 billion to make its beer "more sophisticated"  denverpost.com.  Retrieved October 24, 2017, from http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/28/anheuser-busch-bud-light-marketing/

Nurin, T. (2017, July 27)  Strong Earnings For AB InBev Show Not Everyone's Turning Their Back On Bud.  forbes.com.  retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/taranurin/2017/07/27/bud-earnings-rise-despite-falling-fortunes-for-american-beer/#7bc8e638130f

Is it a smart strategy for Walmart to support two brands?

Last year Walmart bought jet.com.  Did you know that?

It's now apparent that they have decided to support both brands.  As the company has explained, jet.com is an urban Millennial brand and Walmart has not made any inroads with that target on their own. (Green, 2017)

While Walmart is experimenting with online ordering and customer pick-ups, jet.com is chasing wealthier shoppers and launching a private label brand called Uniquely J.  (Corkery, 2017)

It sounds interesting.  But I am reminded of a Director of Marketing at Uncle Ben's who told me that long term she couldn't afford to support multiple brands so they would all need to live under the corporate umbrella.

So what are the pros and cons of having two different brands?  If Millennials don't like your brand, should you buy one that they do like?  Can you reach out to different targets without appearing inauthentic?   

Would you use jet.com if you knew they were owned by Walmart?  Do you think the different brands appeal to different personality types?  Different business styles?

Green, D. (2017, September 29)  How Walmart turned its $3.3 billion acquisition of Jet.com into its greatest weapon against Amazon. businessinsider.com.  Retrieved October 17, 2017, from

http://www.businessinsider.com/jet-walmart-weapon-vs-amazon-2017-9

Corkery, M. (2017, October 6)  Shopping Without Schlepping.  The New York Times.  p B1.

What types of people will be persuaded by Crate & Barrel's new campaign?

Crate & Barrel has hired Reese Witherspoon to be their first brand ambassador.  The partnership includes selling a selection of products from Reese's line - Draper James -- at Crate & Barrel.  And in 2018, the two will co-design a line.

But first up is the holiday season.  Here is the commercial...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_SVGFxQi48

So, what do you think?  What target market will be attracted to this communication?  What personality types?  People styles?  And most importantly why?  Also what techniques is Crate & Barrel using to connect with their target?

Oh, and do you think it will work?

Stein, M. (2017, October 11)  Reese Witherspoon Spoofs Her Entertaining Skills and Reveals a Collab That Will Make Shopping Her Line Easier. people.com.  Retrieved October 11, 2017, from

http://people.com/home/reese-witherspoon-draper-james-crate-and-barrel-collaboration/