1. Welcome to the Bud House
This article was originally published on the Acclaro blog.
Category: Culture
For the World Cup tournament, Anheuser Busch is working the tried-
and-true marketing campaign path, executing two initiatives from
previous years:
1. The “Man of the Match" award, where after the game viewers select the best player,
who is then presented with a large trophy. (Who doesn't love trophies?)
2. The Budweiser Cup: A campaign that features local six-on-six tournaments around the
world, with the champions winning a trip to see the World Cup, live.
This year, however, Anheuser-Busch is also launching an upfront, in-your-face (you guessed it)
reality show. All online, all action, all LIVE.
(Well, as much as possible.)
Called "Bud House," the show has
been described as “American Idol” meets
“Survivor” meets “football.” Exactly 32 football
fans from 32 countries, each representing their
national team, will be placed together in a
house in Capetown, South Africa, with their
every move and word recorded by video
cameras.
Started on June 11, the players battle against each other for the entire course of the World Cup
tournament, in a fashion similar to the popular “Big Brother” reality show. The series broadcasts
6-8 episodes (or rather, webisodes) a day, and the website features a live-streamed feed from
the house.
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2. The show certainly makes good use of the international reach of the World Cup, tying all 32
countries into a Budweiser-branded experience. Using the web as the primary broadcast
channel is also a good setup: "webtime," unlike airtime, is cheap, and if all goes well, the show
will generate tremendous buzz among football fans and those enchanted by the charms of
reality TV.
But there's a potential for reality webisode flare ups (perhaps, to some, this is exactly the
show's appeal): feelings run high enough when you put a bunch of strangers in a house
together, but they run even higher when something precious is at stake: namely, a sports
team's reputation and ultimately, national pride.
One more item to consider: Though we might think the idea of a web series makes sense, it
very much limits exposure to the broadband-connected nations. In South Africa, where our
cherished World Cup is being held, and the Bud House is being filmed, internet penetration
is just over 10%. Seriously! That means about 1 in 10 South African residents can actually see
the action in Bud House unfold.
So how is Anheuser-Busch integrating locals into their
campaign? Well, there is a high level of SMS use in the
country, so they can actively participate in “Man of the
Match” voting, as it is determined by online and mobile
text voting.
But were any "Bud Cup" tournaments held in Africa? What
else is this World Cup sponsor doing to promote the brand
in-country, or otherwise targeting local consumers? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
About Acclaro: Acclaro is an international translation and localization company that
helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. We translate websites,
marketing campaigns, documents and software to give clients an authentic voice in
key language markets.
North America: 1-866-468-5106 Worldwide: +1-914-468-0222
www.acclaro.com sales@acclaro.com
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