Catching Up With Anheuser-Busch’s Bruce Hudson
Bruce Hudson is Anheuser-Busch’s director of international sports marketing, meaning he’s heading up the company’s massive sports marketing efforts around the Beijing Games.
Hudson was on hand Thursday for a tour of A-B’s Club Bud, a follow-up to the hugely successful club the company launched at the Torino Games in ’06.
Hudson spoke with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle during the tour.
What are some of the ways Budweiser tried to make the most of its BOCOG sponsorship?
Hudson: We did a huge hospitality program for distributors and we did a flyaway program for consumers. The flyaway programs out of Guangzhou and Shanghai where we’re chartering a 737 out of those cities and flying 170 people up. They’ll attend an event at the Bird’s Nest that afternoon and come to Club Bud that night.
What are you measuring and what do you hope to do from an ROI perspective out of Club Bud in Beijing as compared to Torino?
Hudson: The difference between Torino and here was Torino we had a licensing agreement and a very small market share. The brand was not very established. During the Games, we were able to parlay Club Bud into getting product into a couple of places. That was one of the primary benefits of creating the first Club Bud.
Here we operate our own business, our own brewery, our own sales force and our own marketing. It’s a lot more like the U.S. than what it was in Italy. Plus it’s a market that’s growing. To set something up like this in Beijing where we’re not as strong as we are in Shanghai and the south of the country has allowed us to have a presence in this market and start establishing the brand a little bit.
Have you seen market share growth in the run up to the Games?
Hudson: Our marketing guys and our sales guys in China have used the property very effectively. The brand is growing at close to 20 percent. Whether we can attribute that to our Olympic sponsorship or something else isn’t an exact science, but it certainly helps.
How does your advertising on China television compare to what you’ve done in the past in a host country for the Olympics?
Hudson: We’ve only sponsored an Olympics in the U.S. in the past. What we’re doing in China is very similar to what we did in Atlanta in 1996. It’s a total marketing effort across every element. Advertising, point-of-sale packaging, marketing, promotions — everything is using the marks.
Is what you’re receiving in signage and images around the city above, below or at expectations?
Hudson: You see a lot of Coke at bus shelters and elsewhere, but it’s really up to the individual sponsor. In this marketplace, our focus is really on the hospitality program and Club Bud and tying Club Bud to retail accounts to use as an incentive for people to buy our products.
How do you feel about the Games to date?
Hudson: I think the city’s really off to a good start. The new terminal is amazing. The Olympic lanes are incredible, especially because we’re staying in a hotel on the other side of town. It’s a chaotic and busy city, but it seems like everyone is into the Olympics and ready for them to begin.
Anything concern you at all — protests at home or anything?
Hudson: I’m not concerned about that. Probably the biggest issue is the weather. It’s hot and steamy and if you’re sitting at an event outdoors during the day, you’re going to be wiped out. But that could change. The evenings are very comfortable.
What are your expectations ratings wise?
Hudson: I think the ratings will do very well. NBC is doing a great job with their promotions. It depends a little on what stories develop. There’s a lot of potential for some very good stories. I’ve got to believe the ratings are going to be outstanding.
