Bud Light Gets Fruiter

In an effort to pump more life into a faltering brand, Bud Light is furthering its commitment its commitment to fruit-flavored beer.

The nation’s largest beer brand, suffered its biggest annual volume decline ever in 2017, dropping 5.7 percent, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

And although most craft brewers would love to have a fraction of the declining numbers, that Bud Light has, it’s still a concern that Anheuser-Busch would like to remedy, which could explain the latest additions to their summer portfolio, the refreshed Bud Light Lime and the brand new Bud Light Orange.

According to the brewery both light lagers are brewed with real lime and orange peels, and not surprisingly millennials are it’s the targets.

“Our millennial consumers are eager to try new, flavored options in the light lager category. We wanted to create something new to engage with these consumers and bring them into the Bud Light family,” said Andy Goeler, vice president of marketing, Bud Light.

“Flavored beer has seen steady growth with consumers continually looking for higher quality beverages made with real, natural flavors. Bud Light Lime and Bud Light Orange answers that call and reinforces Bud Light’s commitment to quality consumers have trusted for over 35 years.”

And with the flavored beer segment in a serious upswing among craft brewers as well with the larger mass marketers, it’s easy to get snarky but that doesn’t mean that Bud Light is making a mistake.

Citrus flavors now account for 84% of the overall flavored beer category and the past five years, sales in the orange flavored beer category have grown to six times the size according to Nielsen sales data.

In support of Bud Light’s latest fruit-infused light lagers, Anheuser-Busch will be debuting two new commercials titled “Earth” and “Taste It”  that showcase each beer’s ‘summery fruitiness’ with an emphasis on the fact that both beers were brewed with real citrus peels.