The most popular beer in the world used our mobile advertising trucks to offer an olive branch to its competitors to celebrate together the anniversary of Repeal Day and the end of prohibition.
Budweiser started the campaign: Have a Bud on Us! through out of home advertising.
Every year, on December 5th, America celebrates the Prohibition’s Repeal, the day when the previous amendment was overturned, and the 21st amendment was introduced, which officially ended the ban. The prohibition (also known as “The Noble Experiment”) was a time in the early ’30s when America was not allowed to distribute, sell, buy or produce beer or any other alcoholic beverage. The only exceptions to the ban were the alcoholic beverages already found inside the homes of the citizens, which were considered legal.
The prohibition was established in 36 states of United States in January 1919, thanks to the 18th amendment to the Constitution but only came into effect until 1920.
For the 85th anniversary of Repeal Day - the date that the United States repealed prohibition after 13 years - Budweiser created a campaign to reach out to its fellow brewers to celebrate. After all, without this “holiday” none of them would even exist today.
Budweiser dispatched the Led Truck fleet to 6 different cities around the country with a campaign aimed at increasing exposure of the holiday and letting the competition know who remains the King of Beers.
The advertising trucks visited the headquarters of Coors (Golden, Colorado), Miller (Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Samuel Adams (Boston, Massachusetts), Yuengling (Pottsville, Pennsylvania), and Heineken (White Plains, New York) on Repeal Day, while displaying on all 4 hi-def screens a series of messages designed to get the attention of onlookers and company officials.
With this friendly campaign, Budweiser wanted to invite its competitors to get together and pay tribute to this important date for the industry by joining the celebration taking place all over the country at 9:00 p.m. (the 21st hour) on December 5th. That’s when many parties begin, friends and colleagues gather, bars offer specials and discounts only valid during Repeal Day, and people make a special toast to the day they were finally free to drink whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted and most importantly, outside of their homes.
In April 1933, the Beer Revenue Act was in force, which made it possible to sell wine and beer with 3.2% alcohol. On this day, the first bottle of beer was legally produced and tested in the White House by the President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
From that date on, we commemorate that it is possible to have a drink legally. However, some people like to start the celebration with a toast accompanied by a non-alcoholic drink to remember those dry prohibition days when it was illegal to drink alcohol.
Did the campaign hit the mark? Ask Ad Week, the leading source of marketing and advertising news in the country. They featured the campaign and Led Truck in December 2018. See here.
