In this article:
- Budweiser is introducing a limited edition beer can in advance of Veterans Day (Nov 11).
- The can design offer a nod to history in the design and a way to generate money for a cause.
Wedged in between Halloween and Thanksgiving, Veterans Day hardly registers as a blip on the calendar even without the December holidays taking over the season. But at least one brand is making an effort at recognizing the sacrifices made by today’s veterans. And we not only honor that but think it’s a smart way to find new opportunities to engage customers in a meaningful, thoughtful way in between all the noise.
In honor of Veterans Day and to support Folds of Honor, the Anheuser-Busch brand is offering “military heritage” cans from the end of October through the middle of November. The organization will get $1 from each pack sale.
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Specifically, as clarified on the beer brand’s site, it considers a case a 24 pack of 12 oz. cans, and it will donate $1 for each one sold from October 4, 2021, to November 15, 2021, up to $25,000. It will also donate $1 for every item purchased from its Military Heritage Collection of clothes, patches, and a neon sign.
The limited-edition cans are inspired by the design of Budweiser’s World War II cans. The difference is that those were olive drab to limit reflection that gives away one’s position, and these are gold, as reported in Media Post.
The article also noted that given that the beer cans sent over to the army were supposed to be buried, they are quite rare and are considered collector’s items worth a couple of thousand dollars.
But the more important point of value here is the revenue generated for the cause. Budwieser explained the need here:
“Of the one million-plus dependents adversely affected by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly nine out of 10 do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance. Folds of Honor seeks to meet this need by providing annual educational scholarships to the military families of those who have been killed or disabled while on active duty.”
The scholarships can be applied for any tuition or tutoring fees for any level of education from kindergarten through college (for children). Spouses are also eligible for higher education tuition assistance.
By not only finding a niche that is probably under the radar for most brands, AB’s approach here – tapping into patriotism, and nostalgia – while attaching a good/helpful cause to it all, AND adding a scarcity element to everything – is a masterful initiative to nurture more meaningful customer relationships.
The data that could potentially be collected here by the company should use it for further communications with customers, to be able to send them very relevant communications. But that would require having your data infrastructure in place, and the right cross-channel campaign management tools.