A core part of Bud Light’s new positioning – present everywhere from billboards to their recent Super Bowl ads – is “superior drinkability.”
The idea behind this positioning is strong, that Bud Light is an easy-to-drink beer (relative to more complex, hoppy beers that may not be as smooth or easy to quaff).
But the specific wording Anheuser-Busch uses here continues to befuddle me. Drinkability is an awkward word. It implies that other beers aren’t drinkable, which is silly.
It’s also not consistent with Bud Light’s core audience, which has also been blue-collar, everyman, “Joe Six Pack” drinkers. Anheuser Busch’s ad campaigns to this day reinforce this audience focus, with slapstick humor used again and again to keep its audience’s attention.
Does the average Bud Light drinker know what “drinkability” means? Do they care? Is this phrase helping Anheuser-Busch sell beer?
I doubt it.
