Marketing to the Military Case Study: Budweiser

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

Budweiser is a popular pale lager produced by Anheuser–Busch, an American brewing company based in Saint Louis, Missouri. Prior to selling SeaWorld Parks and Busch Gardens to private equity firm Blackstone Group, Anheuser-Busch was one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, operating ten theme parks through the company's family entertainment division. 

Budweiser has, for years, been known for sport sponsorships such as baseball, football, soccer, and motorsports. The company has also been involved with video game sponsorship during the early years of the video game industry, and has also been known for airing humorous advertisements. Some of Budweiser's advertising tactics have become so popular that they are an indispensable part of the company's marketing strategy. Namely, the Budweiser Clydesdales (pictured above) have become an iconic image of the company, often being used in the Rose Parade and Superbowl commercials.

Below we'll discuss in full detail some of the strategies Budweiser has employed in bolstering their nearly ubiquitous recognition from sports lovers and TV surfers, to military veterans. 

Viral Video Marketing Campaigns

If you recall our previous post about video campaigns, we stressed the importance of creating consistent, valuable content. Things that people would want to spend time watching. 

Budweiser consistently creates and uploads videos on its official YouTube account, whose content consists of updates on the Made in America music festival, the company's sponsored Bud and Burgers Championship, and many of the company's aired commercials. Check out the company's 2015 Super Bowl Commercial titled “Lost Dog.”

One of the things we mentioned in our previous post about video campaigns was that "airing one or two commercials on television" would probably not communicate your company's culture or its commitment to its mission statement. The video above, while valuable to those who were willing to watch it, does not go beyond its heartwarming nature to call for a particular course of action or to propagate a sentiment the company wants to share with its viewers.

Indeed, airing one or two commercials like these may popularize your company's name to the families and friends spending their Sunday evening watching the game. But the most instructive part of Budweiser's video marketing strategy is its consistency and diversity of the message it has spread. For example, aside from a myriad of different projects and communities the company has targeted, Budweiser has regularly demonstrated its dedication to support the troops and those who have risked their lives to protect their fellow countrymen through viral video campaigns. 

Check out some of the numerous videos that Budweiser and the parent company have created to demonstrate their gratitude for veterans and service members. Many of these videos were created to build positive public perceptions of the company by emphasizing the company's efforts to support those who serve.

'Troops Coming Home'

'Coming Home'

A Hero's Welcome - Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial

9/11 Tribute

The last video, a tribute to those who have lost their lives in 9/11, was remastered and released again on 2011 as a ten year anniversary tribute. The videos were meant as tributes and a public demonstration of the company's solemn respect for those who have perished during and after the crisis. The commercials never aired more than once so as to not profit from the commemoration of the lives lost during the tragedy.

Promotions, Donations, and Building Culture

We mentioned that one of the main reasons to create valuable video campaigns is to inform the viewer of your company's culture and to shape the brand in the would like by emphasizing certain qualities. The commercials and videos linked above were some of Budweiser's content that centered on military service, emphasizing qualities the company prized such as patriotism, camaraderie, gratitude, respect, support, and service. The company has, for long, supplemented their video marketing campaign with genuine outreach to those who have served. Consider some of these initiatives that show the company's commitment to making an impact in the military community:

1) In March 2011, Budweiser launched the “Here’s to the Heroes” Home Run program. The program involved a $100 donation for every home run hit during the 2011 Major League Baseball regular season to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation, an initiative that provides educational scholarships to the dependents of service members killed or disabled in the line of duty. Additionally, the company donated a portion of every case sold from May 26 – July 10 to the organization.

2) More than 5,500 Anheuser-Busch employees have served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and other military campaigns. Employees currently serving in the U.S. military may resume their jobs at Anheuser-Busch.

3) From 2001 to 2009, more than 5 million military service personnel and their families received free admission to select theme parks through the “Here’s to the Heroes” program sponsored by Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser. 

The company remains a sponsor of this popular program in Florida, Virginia and Texas. The company also helped found the U.S. Military Sports Association, an organization that supports our uniformed men and women’s sports activities, and has donated more than 18,000 pieces of sports equipment to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

4) Since 1987, the company and its Foundation have donated nearly $11 million to military charities, including the USO, Fisher House, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Pentagon Memorial Fund, America Supports You, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Hispanic War Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials, among others.

5) On New Year’s Day 2011, Budweiser paid tribute to America’s heroes with a patriotic float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, which was pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales and featured veteran service organizations and Anheuser-Busch employees who had served in the military. The gesture was made to give thanks to those who have been in active duty or who are currently serving and for all the sacrifices they've made to protect the residents within the country.

Blogs, Infographics, and White Papers

Blogs: 
Budweiser has also made effective use of other content marketing strategies to bolster its public reputation as a socially aware thought leader with expertise in fields related to brewery and drinking culture. 

When going to the company's blog, you will notice that the content marketing team regularly creates a diverse array of different topics. Whether the post is about the company's environmental efforts, a recipe to brew an imperial stout oatmeal recipe, or about how lager should be tried over wine at the dinner table for the night, Budweiser's marketing team is constantly creating valuable and searchable content for its viewers. The blog's home page is visually appealing and user friendly, allowing you to go through previous posts and catch up on the latest news, company initiatives, fan-made recipes, etc.

Infographics:

The company has created or commissioned contractors to create visually appealing infographics. For example, During the FA Cup, Budweiser wanted to create an infographic that compared the life cycle of the pint of Budweiser in one's hand to the events that have occurred during the the FA Cup so far. The campaign was designed to be used across Facebook and the focus was to create an engaging timeline. The importance of having visual content is at an all-time high. As the Content Marketing Institute reported, "Social media sites that focus exclusively on images are swiftly gaining in popularity. In February, TechCrunch reported that the percentage of online adults using Pinterest (15 percent) had almost caught up to the percentage using Twitter (16 percent)." Budweiser understands the appeal of creating visual content and has taken advantage of its presence on social media to spread this type of content to its viewers. 

The organization will continue to create informative and well-designed bits like the one above as part of its ongoing content marketing strategy. For instance, another notable infographic created with the intent of informing and spreading a bit of the company's culture and history. Not all of Budweiser's (or your company's) content has to be overt advertisement. Many individuals find even bits like the one depicted here interesting, due to the colorful presentation of what would otherwise be fairly uninteresting information. 

White Papers:
The company is also no stranger to creating white papers on topics of importance. Given the nature of the company's products and the association between alcohol and impaired judgment, many brewing organizations are constantly under scrutiny. According to Anheuser-Busch's press release, "Anheuser-Busch's representatives participated in the launch of the Beer Institute’s comprehensive white paper detailing alcohol responsibility efforts, including drunk-driving and underage-drinking prevention, and supportive data – including those championed by Anheuser-Busch. Maryellen Pado, Senior Director for Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch, presented Budweiser’s 'Friends Are Waiting' campaign to attending congressional staff and media." 

Given the dangerous nature of under age drinking and driving under the influence, the company has taken an active step to write a report in a white paper that could be read here. Writing these types of reports show the public that you are a thought leader and recognize that you are truly committed to your company's core values.

Takeaway

The key takeaway from this case study on Budweiser's marketing strategy is this: you don't have to be as big as these companies to create valuable content to benefit your business. 

While it's true that we've investigated perhaps one of the most well-funded companies with a large budget for marketing, the fact is that many businesses can still succeed in creating content that can attract consumers and other businesses alike. As we've mentioned repeatedly throughout our previous posts, you do not need to buy prime time Superbowl commercial advertising slots in order to spread your message, your company's culture, your products/services, or your mission. Remember, businesses have started and taken off with less resources and less access to an audience. 

For more information about creating valuable content for marketing to general audiences as well as for specific military audiences, check out some of previous blog posts about content marketing and using video campaigns.

Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.

Military Marketing: Webinars/Webcasts

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

What is a Webinar/Webcast?

A webinar is an online presentation that engages with those who are tuned into your session. In webinars, you are employing slides, audio, pictures, etc. to interact with consumers who are interested in finding out more about your business. The presenter uses a computer or telephone to speak directly to his guests. Questions can also be asked in real time through the interactive webinar interface, and the presenter can immediately answer any questions that his audience may have while going slide by slide to incorporate visual imagery. 

A webcast, on the other hand, is the broadcast of an already recorded presentation over the Internet. In this particular session, the transmission of information is one-way only, from speaker to audience. Because they are recorded sessions, webcasts can be viewed at any time. 

Thus, the main difference between a webinar and a webcast is that a webinar is live and interactive, while a webcast is a transmission from one to many (with limited interactivity). 

Why Use Webinars?

According to the Content Marketing Institute, "42% of the B2B Content Marketing participants use Webinars/Webcasts and they are quite pleased with the results, placing the tactic in the top 5 for effectiveness." So why do many businesses think Webinars are so effective, and why should defense contractors or business marketing to the military take advantage of this medium?/

1. It's immersive

Webinars are truly one of the most immersive content experience aside from meeting clients face-to-face. There is no other interaction that creates an environment in which a business can interact with a set of attendees for 45-60 minutes. As mentioned above, the interactive user interface allows for attendees to ask the presenter questions live and participate in an informative dialogue. The interactive nature of webinars make the experience more memorable and will help your business retain and close deals with leads who are interested in your service. 

2. Sends customers through the sales funnel

You can generate marketing leads with an informative, engaging, and successful webinar. If someone signs up for your webinar, he probably already has respect for either you or your company, which you can leverage over time to convert them into customers, as they have already have a proven interest in what you do or offer. Your self-selected audience means that you have to do very little heavy lifting in terms of educating them about the importance of your service but rather allows you to spend more time to talk about the specific details about your service. With a successful webinar, you will be able to convince your attendees that you know what you're talking about and you understand how your product can be of use to your target. In doing so, you will inevitably be able to close close deals and create a positive business relationship with those who were compelled by your presentation. 

3. Add value to your brand by using webinars as post-sale educational tools

Business marketers often use webinars to display and showcase products/services as well as to educate prospective consumers and generate leads. But one great way to employ webinars aside from mobilizing individuals up and down the sales ladder is by using webinars and webcasts as a way to educate your existing customers. Having your experts lead virtual learning webinars and educate your customer base about upcoming innovations in the market, overcoming typical challenges in the business space, or industry trends. Doing so will help you position your company's brand as a sincere and customer-centered organization as well as a reliable industry thought leader. Not all webinars have to be sales pitches, so remember that you can manipulate the nature of your online broadcast to suit the needs of your consumers and to provide them an extra reason to come back to you when they want or need something. 

4. It's cost effective

Webinars are cost-effective for both business marketers and consumers. The costs associated with creating a valuable, informative, and engaging webinar are far less than producing or attending a large, live event where virtually the same information would be used to spread awareness of the company's services. In other words, webinars give you many of the same rewards of an in-person seminar without the large price tag associated with renting venues, travel, and other necessary expenses, including time, which you can instead use to focus more attention on creating memorable, engaging, and valuable content for your attendees. Consumers incur no costs either, since signing up to attend a webinar is free. Keeping an archived video of your webinar can also allow anyone interested in your topic to find your presentation unless you decide to remove it, making it a worthwhile investment. Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch Inc wrote that “We've been able to show that 300% to 500% more people watch a recorded webinar than attend a live one...If you don't record it, you're missing out on more than half of your audience.”

5. Improves Search Engine Optimization

As we've mentioned in our previous posts about the relationship between content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), we've stressed that you have to create valuable content. Webinars can do a great deal if individuals interested in the subject matter that you're presenting are going to be coming back to your webinars for more information and to seek your expertise. Archived webinars on not only your website but other social media channels can help you gain visibility with the search engines, as the video broadcast will link back to your business if viewers find the webinar valuable. Post the slide deck you used to social sharing sites like SlideShare.

Next Steps

The Content Marketing Institutes highlights three particular points about webinars: 

1. Webinars make an excellent call-to-action or follow up offer to other forms of content, such as ebooks, white papers, enewsletters, etc. 

2. You benefit twice: first, from the live event, then from the people who download the archived event. 

3. A successful Webinar requires an aggressive promotions strategy, typically via your Website, blog, enewsletter and other media or social media channels.

Once you understand those key points, start brainstorming ways for you to begin your webinar. HubSpot provides excellent step-by-step insight into how you can get your webinar marketing off the ground and running.

To sign up for our bi-weekly RallyPoint webinar about the services we offer, click here.

For more information about creating valuable content for marketing to general audiences as well as for specific military audiences, check out some of previous blog posts about content marketing and using video campaigns.

Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.

Military Marketing: Video Campaigns

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

Video Campaigns: A Vital Component of Content Marketing 

It is said that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading the same information presented in text. A report released by Cisco 2 years ago also estimated that video will comprise 69 percent of all consumer online traffic by 2017. That means that over two-thirds of the world's mobile data traffic will be coming in the form of video.

What does this mean for businesses, companies, and governments? It means that using video as a means to communicate with the everyday consumer is becoming a necessary channel. Using video marketing is, as we mentioned in our previous post on content marketing, only one part of a multifaceted strategy to attract viewers and prospective customers.

Members of the military and former military comprise of a highly specific demographic. 

The U.S. veteran population represent a large portion of the US population. 

The extended veteran population is comprised of:

• 23 million veterans 
• 20 million spouses 
• 45 million siblings 
• 55 million children  

Particularly, according to the VA, post-9/11 veterans "attain 11% higher median earnings than non-veterans with similar demographic characteristics." 

The current extended military population is comprised of:

• 1.4 million active duty members
• 1.1 million spouses 
• 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserves 

Active members usually receive a greater and more stable source of disposable income immune to economic frictions. 

With numbers and details like those presented above, many companies may seem to be waging an land-grab battle to gain a greater edge in the military and veteran market. 

Online Video Marketing Campaigns: Are They Worth It?

How powerful are online video marketing campaigns? Do they even work? Is it worth the time and money, especially when thousands of companies and businesses are attempting to do the same thing? 

It may seem like wasted effort and a sink for resources that could be allocated elsewhere, but video campaigns are important in building your online presence and inviting community engagement. 

Consider companies like Blendtec, which launched a viral marketing campaign that consisted of a series of informercials posted on YouTube demonstrating one of the company's most powerful blenders, the Total Blender. In the videos, Tom Dickson (Blendtec's founder) always tries to blend a wide range of different items to showcase the blender's power and efficiency. 

(Here's Tom Dickson blending 50 marbles)

Tom Dickson, the Blendtec founder, attempts to blend various unusual items (such as marbles, cans, phones, and wooden items) in order to show off the power of his blender. Every video garners an impressive number of views, all to see everyday household items getting destroyed by a blender. 

Now consider some commercials that seem to target military and veteran audiences by companies such as Jeep and American Airlines:

(Jeep's 2013 Superbowl commercial)

(American Airlines' 'Thank You' commercial)

These commercials are short but valuable, and many businesses can use these examples to build a more wholesome content marketing strategy. 

Some Lessons From Jeep and American Airlines

The commercials that both Jeep and American Airlines have used to honor and commemorate veterans pull on the conventional heart strings and are valuable in reminding us of the sacrifice veterans have made and the members of the military continue to make while they're serving. 

There are many ways to build on successful commercial campaigns to create an even more robust marketing strategy, though. 

Greenbay Packer's Veteran's Day Celebration

Of course it would be absurd to assume that creating a commercial played at the Superbowl would help you position your company for the military audience completely. Not every business can create a Superbowl-worthy commercial nor does every business have the necessary budget to buy air time even if those commercials were hilarious, inspiring, or heart-warming (like most of those aired in between a few minutes of football playtime). 

Lesson #1: Make Valuable Videos As Much As You Can

Content marketing, including video marketing, should be an ongoing activity that helps promote your content but, most importantly, serves to provide value to your consumer. As we mentioned in our previous post on content marketing, the Internet has forced businesses to create engagement with the communities that they want to reach with their product or message. 

Gone are the days where consumers are receptive to a barrage of irrelevant advertisements displayed on the front or side pages of Google or other web pages. Studies and findings using heat tracking technology have shown that many individuals who spend hours on the web have become adept at avoiding advertisements that don't seem, and indeed are not, valuable. 

The way you get your company's message out in the open requires a little more than paying for some banner ads on Google's AdWords or on random sites that haphazardly expose your advertising to a random demographic. Videos are a great solution, and a perfect way to build up your exposure on the net. 

Typing in "blending things" onto Google will give you results for Blendtec and a wide array of different videos that Tom Dickson uploaded onto his company's YouTube account. So try creating an online presence on YouTube, a great place to start some engagement with the community and add value to your videos. 

Need some inspiration? Check out one of the many popular tear-jerking commercials made by Thai Life Insurance, whose videos spread throughout online communities because of its emotional nature:

Thai Life Insurance Video

Also check out MetLife's emotional video involving a father and his daughter using a similar formula.

Videos that people go online to see are valuable and, as is the case in these videos, there are many of them, communicating with consumers both a valuable message and also the company that created it. 

Remember! You can also get some revenue with YouTube for creating good content that people want to see (no one would pay to watch a bad video when they can skip it or ignore it). 

As the Content Marketing Institute notes, "Audiences are about 10 times more likely to engage, embed, share, and comment on video content than blogs or related social posts. Understand that YouTube is not just an online video repository; it’s also a powerful social media platform." So take advantage of this platform! 

Lesson #2: Make Your Content Reflect Your Values. 

Your company's culture is your brand, as Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) once put it. One-off commercials like the ones seen on the Superbowl may amass a great viewing, but nothing screams "PR stunt!" more than a lack of active commitment to ensure that consumers understand the company's core values or culture. 

Airing one or two commercials on television to a broad audience doesn't communicate your commitment. While you may get a lot of positive feedback and support, you will undoubtedly start facing a flatline over time. 

Create content that is similar to the values that you want to share with your consumers, and create a lot of it. One of the best ways to gain a consumer's attention and his loyalty is by showing that you are a trustworthy business, not one that is trying to rebuild its negative PR but one that is actively seeking to build a community of those who share similar values. 

Take, for example, Moments.org. Moments.org is a non-profit "web network producing original short films, [whose] films are designed to inspire, encourage and entertain viewers with stories that celebrate love, faith, redemption, patriotism and other timeless truths in action." In addition, the videos that Moments produce highlight values of honesty, respect, and sacrifice. Often, videos involving veterans and the active military are also shown to underscore the value of service. 

Moments' brand is exactly what the organization had communicated through its YouTube platform: one that stands behind the troops and individuals who have contributed to their society. 

Take a look at one of their videos commemorating service:

Lesson #3: Go Go Go! 

Don't wait for your brand to slowly enter people's psyche. Do something and create something of value. Don't worry that you are not a business giant that can just roll out millions of dollars into your marketing budget to play your content for the Superbowl. 

The Content Marketing Institute provides some resources for video providers if you're looking to produce some videos and build your YouTube presence:

• Brightcove: Video-hosting platform for media and marketing
• Cisco Show and Share: Webcasting & video-sharing application
• KnowledgeVision: Online video presentation software
• Limelight Networks: Video distribution & tracking platform
• Magnify: Video curation
• Me!Box Media: Video lead generation
• Ooyala: Cross-device video analytics & monetization
• Pixability: Video & YouTube marketing company
• Vimeo: Video-based social networking
• VMIX: Video content management system

Marketing Insights for Reaching the Military: What is Content Marketing?

David Yoo, RallyPoint Civilian Careers.

"Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising," said Milton S. Hershey, founder of Hershey Foods Corp. 

Hershey, in the 19th and 20th century, was speaking about the market he was catering to (at the time, fans of chocolate and sweets) when he acknowledged that the quality of the product being delivered would result in a positive feedback loop. Happy consumers buy chocolates for themselves and for family and friends, who all learn about the delectable treat packaged by Hershey's company. 

But times are different now, and although word of mouth remains powerful, mass media has made advertising both easy and difficult for companies to market their products to target consumers.

This isn't to say that Hershey's advice has withered as a result of changing social and business environments. In fact, Hershey's advice is more relevant today than ever. The quality that Hershey was referring to is now applicable to the content being produced by marketers in order to attract consumers, not simply the quality of the product itself.  As Danielle Sacks correctly pointed out, "the Internet has turned what used to be a controlled, one-way message into a real-time dialogue with millions." Gone are the days where marketers flash their products on newspaper ads.

Marketing to veterans and members of the military is no different. The insight of 21st century digital marketing is that there is an ever-growing emphasis on the quality of the content being created. 

Content Marketing, as defined by the Content Marketing Institute, is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action. Some of the forms used to create this type of content includes infographics, webpages, podcasts, videos, books, ebooks, blogs, apps, white papers, presentations, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc.

A sample infographic created by RallyPoint.

The simple key to understanding the core of content marketing (and thus attracting prospective consumers) is value. 

What makes something valuable? 

What is valuable content marketing, anyway? 

Content is valuable when individuals want to read/watch your content. 

Old Spice Content Marketing: Commercial Video Campaigns

For example, millions of people have gone on YouTube to watch the "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" video. The commercial has garnered more than 51 million views, and its content was brilliant, humorous, attention grabbing, but above all else, valuable to the consumer. Old Spice has been able to attract the attention of thousands of consumers on Twitter due to its approach to viral marketing using valuable content. Old Spice's social media presence has grown due to a series of numerous commercials starring Isaiah Mustafa and Terry Crews. One thing is certain from their marketing campaign: consumers found value in watching these commercials and many undoubtedly keep the brand name in mind when they browse through the aisles of a supermarket or other health and pharmaceutical retail chains.

As you may be able to glean, this type of focus on producing valuable content has become an increasingly important and necessary component of many companies' marketing strategy. Take another example of a hugely successful content marketing campaign which, on top of appealing to the general public, has also branched out to targeting military families and veterans. 

Lego Content Marketing: Successful Film Campaign

Do you remember watching The Lego Movie in the theatre? You essentially paid to watch a 101 minute commercial for Lego brand toys. Pablo Smithson from The Guardian made the point that "As a product, Lego is for kids, so the Lego marketing team's main challenge [was] to make their products appealing to children; however, it is the parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and godparents who hold the purse strings. This is where the joy – and the genius – comes in: The Lego Movie is a ripping adventure for kids, but is also great fun for adults."

The rave reviews that the film received and the ensuing craze for Lego clearly boosted the company's sales. According to the Wall Street Journal, "revenue in the first six months rose 11% boosted by 'The Lego Movie' products, making it the biggest toy company in the world by revenue and profit, ahead of Barbie-maker Mattel Inc."

As for targeting military audience, especially successful was Lego's strategy of coupling the film's success with its special discounts and free admissions to various Legoland amusement parks for veterans and service members. This was particularly successful because, as a joint research study by Stacy DeBroff and MilitaryOneClick revealed, "military families seek relaxation and rejuvenation through destination vacations to resorts or amusement parks, and nearly 60% head out for vacation time one to two times per year. Moreover, half of all military families will plan their travel based on the availability of discounted pricing for service members." 

Now, you might be thinking that your company or department cannot afford to spend millions of dollars on viral content marketing campaigns like other larger businesses.

The good news is that you don't need millions of dollars. You just need to create content that is a valuable source of information or inspiration to your consumers. There are many different avenues that improve your visibility, your target, and your mission when it comes to content marketing, and there are many things you can do without a million dollar budget. 

Check out some of RallyPoint's unique Business Services here and have access to more than 740,000 members of the military and former military on our social network.