New Budweiser 'Personalized' Packaging Honors Its Local Breweries

Last summer, Anheuser-Busch turned heads by changing the name on its Budweiser packaging to "America" for the summer months as part of its "America in Your Hands" campaign. Now, to celebrate the 11 states in which Budweiser is brewed — California (has two Budweiser breweries), Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — the name of each state will be printed on bottles and cans.

Various staples of Budweiser will also be changed to reflect each state featured.

According to a press release, the changes that will be made to each bottle and can are:

• “Budweiser” on cans and bottles being replaced with each state name
• The center medallion “AB” monogram updated with state initials
• “King of Beers” swapped to include  each individual state motto
• “Anheuser-Busch Inc.” replaced with each state nickname

“Our new state bottles and cans celebrate the homes of our breweries and the communities that support them,” said Ricardo Marques, Budweiser vice president, in the press release. “Since 1876, Budweiser has been proudly brewed across America and, this summer, we’re inviting local consumers to raise a cold one with us.”

In addition to the summer packaging update, Anheuser-Busch will also hold open houses at the breweries, air radio spots in each area, and it will host a two-day, invitation-only festival it's calling "Budland," which will feature Los Angeles-area music, food and fashion.

Earlier in the summer, Anheuser-Busch released camoflauge-designed aluminum bottles to honor the military.

A Budweiser representative confirmed to packagePRINTING that the bottles will be produced at their respective breweries and will therefore only be available in the state they represent.

Packaging Perspective: Budweiser is no stranger to having fun with its bottles and cans. When it changed its packaging to say "America" last summer, it was attempting to appeal to a very wide audience … Americans. Now, Budweiser is going after a more targeted market with its state-themed bottles and cans  — individuals in one of the 11 states featured.

New Jersey can. Image courtesy of Anheuser-Busch.

A brand as classic as Budweiser doesn't need to worry about name recognition, since it's already very well-known. It's also clear that Budweiser bottles and cans have reached an iconic status. Consumers are able to recognize the container, even without its brand name immediately visible.

This packaging, similar to Coke's "Share a Coke" campaign, may make a first-time buyer out of some individuals living in one of the 11 states featured. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and this packaging just might help sway me to go to the store to look for a six-pack of New Jersey bottles, especially since it says "The Garden State" on it, something in which many New Jerseyans take a lot of pride.

Imagine going to a New York Yankees game this summer and opening a bottle of "New York?" It's an interesting marketing campaign from Budweiser — a company that seems to relish in the fun that can be had during the summer months.