'Bud Family' Party Warms Up Winter Olympics With Designated Driver Message
Commerical relies on positive message rather than scolding
April, 1998(St. Louis)- Beer bottles from the "Bud Family" played Frisbee, danced, swam and got a safe ride home from their "cousin" O'Doul's in a new television commercial titled "Pick Me Up" that first aired Sunday, Feb. 8, during coverage of the Winter Olympics on CBS. O'Doul's, brewed by Anheuser-Busch, is the nation's leading non-alcohol malt beverage and The Official Brew of the Designated DriverŠ. At the end of the party, as the bottles load up in their six-pack to go home with O'Doul's driving, the tagline reminds viewers, "When partying with your Buds, remember to choose a designated driver...it's the perfect pick-me-up!"
The new commercial features such memorable "actors" as the cantankerous "barking" bottle-opener who lives next door and "The Twist Offs," a rock band of bottles. Guests at the party include "Bud Family" members Budweiser, Bud Light, and Bud Ice. The party takes place in a neighborhood where houses are coolers, the pool is a galvanized beer tub, and the town water tower is a Budweiser keg.
"This commercial has so many clever effects, we think viewers will want to see it again and again," explains Francine Katz, vice president of Anheuser-Busch's Consumer Awareness and Education Department. "Our goal is to prevent drunk driving, and research shows that when it comes to encouraging personal responsibility, people respond more favorably to positive messages than to scolding or scare tactics. That's why we've used humor to show that the designated driver is having fun, just like everyone else."
More than 85 million American adults have been a designated driver or have been driven home by one, according to a 1997 study by Roper Starch Worldwide. That's up 16 percent in the past two years. Likewise, 90 percent of the public endorse the designated driver concept as an excellent or good way of curbing drunk driving. In turn, drunk-driving fatalities among the general population have declined 36 percent since 1982, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The :30 commercial contains 900 frames of stop-motion action, which took more than six weeks to create in the studio. The ad was created by Kupper Parker, St. Louis: Pete Charlton, chief creative officer; Jim Winkle, producer; Jeff Twardowski, art director; and Chris Martel, copy writer. The spot was shot, filmed and directed in Bristol, England, by the award-winning Bolex Brothers. Uground, Los Angeles, was the production company; Rushes, London, was the editing shop; and ASA Productions, Indianapolis, created the music and sound design.
Anheuser-Busch leads the alcohol beverage industry in the fight against alcohol abuse with national advertising campaigns and more than a dozen community-based programs that promote responsible drinking among adults who choose to drink and discourage drunk driving and teen drinking. To learn more about Anheuser-Busch's efforts, visit www.beeresponsible.com
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