Budweiser Taps Millennials With #HolidayBuds Vintage Wooden Crates And Labels

Long before Pabst Blue Ribbon became a hipster beer of choice for the Millennial generation, it was just the beer you drank in college because it was cheap. I speak from experience.

Of course, every beer wants to be the hipster-focused vintage beer of choice because, apparently, taste buds don’t mature until after 30. Miller Lite is doing it with the return of its 70’s era cans. Coors is doing it with its recently re-introduced Coors Banquet which is on a six-year upswing working its way off the Nine Beers Americans No Longer Drink list.

And so it comes as no surprise that regular old Budweiser wants in on the hipster action with its own flavor of vintage-beer appeal. To do so, the brand, working with North Carolina vintage shop Vintage Editions, has launched a #HolidayBuds campaign.

We’re bringing back limited edition bottles from 1918, 1933, and 1969 for the holidays. Round up your #HolidayBuds. pic.twitter.com/GQzFJ7H2nD

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 3, 2014

The brewer has stealthily shipped 10,000 vintage wooden crates to stores this week. Each package is filled with 18 bottles of Budweiser wrapped in classic packaging from three different eras; the beginning of Prohibition (1918), the end of Prohibition (1933) and the brand’s 100th anniversary (1976). Also within the straw-stuffed case are two pilsner glasses with which to enjoy the brew.

Budweiser is encouraging those that buy the vintage cases to share photos across social channels including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #HolidayBuds.

Thanks @Budweiser for sending over this awesome crate. Looks like I'll be sharing some #HolidayBuds w/friends soon. pic.twitter.com/cnFAQi1kYJ

— Mike Markel (@MMarkel3) November 3, 2014

[instagram]http://instagram.com/p/u8laQ6Q0Y2/embed/[/instagram]

Each case will cost $40. Yea, that’s $40 for a case of beer that’s six beers shy of a full case of beer. Alas, we all know marketers can toy with consumers’ sensibilities as long as they successfully tie it to “cool.”

Budweiser isn’t stopping with just the 10,000 vintage cases. The brand will also introduce old-school labels on 1.6 million cases that will be shipped over the next few weeks in advance of the holidays.

The company is also debuting a television commercial (also published on YouTube) in support of the effort, featuring “real people” talking about friends or family with whom they’d like to share a Budweiser, and inviting them to hang out over a beer.

In the next iteration of the spot, the company will facilitate hometown reunions between folks who haven’t seen each other in years. The theme ties into the annual hometown migration by young adults who haven’t yet established their own families and therefore visit their parents over the holidays.

Here are some photos of the vintage creates and labels: