Anheuser-Busch's Bud.TV tanking

Tom Barlow — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:55:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing and Advertising, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)

Bud.TV, Anheuser-Busch's (NYSE: BUD) attempt to capture the young adult audience that is fleeing television for online entertainment, has fallen flatter than the head on a week-old glass of beer. The internet site carries shows specially produced for Budweiser such as What Girls Want and Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.

The site was launched with great fanfare earlier this year, with hopes that it would soon draw 2-3 million visitors per month. In February, however, only about 250,000 visitors viewed the programming. Last month Bud.TV dropped another 100,000 visitors, according to ComScore Media Matrix.

Bud.TV ran into considerable criticism from a group of the nation's attorneys general who accused Anheuser-Busch of using it to corrupt those under drinking age. In response, the company built a screening process for potential viewers that requires them to wait while A-B verifies their age by checking against state driver's license databases.

The death spiral for this initiative is probably due to the difficulty of gaining access, and the impression that the site's vetting process invades customer's privacy. Without a proven, compelling product behind the curtain, I doubt Anheuser-Busch will be able to drive enough traffic to Bud.TV to justify its continuance. The company has been cross-posting some content on YouTube, hoping to entice viewers, but to little result.

According to Advertising Age, in March Bud.TV's viewership numbers finished just below those of a site for purchasing sheet rubber. Ouch.

Anheuser-Busch's Bud.TV tanking originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Attorneys General to Anheuser-Busch: keep kids away from Bud.tv

Tom Barlow — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Products and Services, Marketing and Advertising, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)

Bud.tv, Anheuser-Busch(NYSE:BUD)'s cutting-edge marketing site, offers viewers specially produced television (does that term seemed dated, or what?) shows such as What Girls Want and Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show via the internet.

This worries our nation's Attorneys General, enough so that twenty-three of them wrote to the company last week asking them to strengthen the screening tools meant to keep kids off the site. Apparently, they are concerned that our impressionable youth may develop a taste for the suds through watching the show content, which will eventually include sports events, musical acts and downloadable video.

I went on Bud.tv and signed up in order to better understand their argument. Frankly, I was surprised at the degree of screening already in place. I had to give my real name and zip code, and the site apparently compared this to my state's BMV list to verify I was of legal age before allowing me access. I've never encountered such a vigorous screening procedure before, even when visiting, eh, 'gentlemen's' sites (for research only, of course).

This is not enough for the A's-G, though. They suggest steps such as sending a confirming postcard to the home of each member candidate, or placing individual phone calls to vet those who want to watch beer-related entertainment.

I suppose, with the present process a child could game the system by signing on as their parent. But is that a danger worth the expense of these additional steps? Would the world be a dramatically better place if these kids were denied access to Bud.tv and were forced instead to watch, say, the Super Bowl?

Attorneys General to Anheuser-Busch: keep kids away from Bud.tv originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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