This week’s Intern-For-A-Day is Lauren Marosok, who will be coming to Fast Horse this Thursday. Here’s a little about Lauren:

Lauren Marosok

Lauren is a junior at the University of St. Thomas, majoring in public relations and advertising. Her dream job is to work as an entertainment publicist in California or New York. An animal lover, Lauren has two horses and two cats. She also enjoys running, writing fiction and poetry and being involved in the St. Thomas Chapter of Gamma Sigma Sigma. We can’t wait to hear about the horses. Speaking of which:

Trading in Clydesdales for Thoroughbreds?

By Lauren Marosok

Anheuser-Busch has launched a new marketing campaign that will allow the age-old Budweiser brand to reach a different group of consumers and expand its retail. The new target group is the under-30 crowd, which the brand seems to view as an untapped marketing gold mine.

The logic behind the new marketing campaign is that Anheuser-Busch wants to target an age group that has not reached the time in their lives where they have strong, set brand loyalty. After viewing one of the advertisements for the campaign, “Grab Some Buds,” I think there is potential for positive results.

The brand needs to recognize that it’s dealing with a longstanding brand representation that needs to be overcome to target this younger audience. Budweiser has previously been known as “a man’s beer” targeting loyal, middle-age and older customers, who are typically male. To expand this label, the message needs to be delivered that Budweiser can be the beer for anyone, and more importantly, that Budweiser should be the beer of choice for the younger generation.

Anheuser-Busch made a smart first step when it re-designed some of the packaging, which gave Budweiser a much needed, youthful makeover with a colorful, flashier look. However, the company needs to be able to sell a Budweiser lifestyle that is compatible with the fast-paced, ever-changing way consumers in their 20′s live.

The ad campaign for “Grab Some Buds” starts to make that happen by showing shots of young, busy people doing a variety of ‘lifestyle’ activities, while also showing the Budweiser beer being produced and bottled. This communicates the message that Budweiser can keep up with your lifestyle, no matter where you choose to go. This is a good first step, but Budweiser needs to understand that it’s competing with brands that already have the attention of this younger demographic, such as Corona and Coors.

It’s hard to change an image. Many young people still remember the old Budweiser commercials that advertised to their fathers. I think it will help tremendously that Budweiser will continue the campaign through the Super Bowl, because this will allow them to reach the most of their new target consumers possible. It will be hard work, but if Budweiser continues to create ads like the new “Grab Some Buds” spot, I think they can draw in the younger consumer base. They just need to remember that they are not just selling a beer, but a lifestyle.

OK, nobody asked, but I’ve got a plan for Zygi Wilf when and if he ever gets his new Vikings stadium. He shouldn’t sell the naming rights — exactly. What he should do is name the building Bud Grant Stadium. There’s nobody who resonates with Vikings fans like Harry Peter Grant. He’s one of us — a U of M graduate, a Minneapolis Laker, a coach who led the team during its most sustained era of excellence. Naming the stadium after him would be a hugely popular move.

Ah, but there’s no money in it — a fatal flaw in today’s pro sports marketplace. Here’s how we fix it.

We dub the stadium “The Bud.” Formally, it will be Bud Grant Stadium, but informally, it will be The Bud, as in: “We’re heading to the Bud for the Packers game.” You could incorporate the nickname in some of the stadium signage, as well. It might say “Bud Grant Stadium” in big letters across the front, but somewhere nearby will be a neon sign proclaiming it “The Bud.” For night games, the announcers will say, “We’re under the Bud lights here in Minneapolis.” And when Zygi announces the deal to build the new stadium, he’ll say, “Minnesota: This Bud’s for you.”

Do you think there might be a deep-pocketed company willing to pay for an association with a new pro sports stadium called The Bud? Hmmm, let me think a minute…

When it happens, just remember you heard it here first.

Once viewed as a barbaric activity that took place at dingy old venues like the local armory, mixed martial arts (MMA) is far more regulated than in its early days and has gained serious momentum as a legitimate sport.  If you haven’t noticed, or are simply too squeamish to look, it has become quite popular, particularly with the important 18-49 male demographic.

The Target Center event is sold out locally and will be watched by thousands of fans around the country via pay-per-view at a cost of $45. I’ve been paying attention for a while, but even I’m blown away by the ticket prices – main floor seating is $600 (before Ticketmaster’s “convenience charges”) and most upper level seats are in the $250 range. 

So how did MMA make such a leap? 

Well, MMA bouts are perfect in an age of short attention spans – usually three, five-minute rounds of incredibly fast-paced action instead of 10 or 12 rounds in a boxing match – but the real magic has been solid marketing efforts, a ton of TV exposure and a growing sponsor base.

It’s hard to flip through the channels without seeing MMA on TV and ratings have been strong.  UFC fights on Spike TV are routinely among the most-watched programs on cable and CBS recently began broadcasting events from Elite XC (a rival organization of the UFC) during primetime on Saturday nights.  In addition, you can see fights on Versus, FOX Sports Net and Showtime, among others. 

And, “The Ultimate Fighter” has become a hit reality show – providing big ratings for Spike TV and huge exposure for the UFC as it enters its 8th season of searching for the best unsigned fighters.  Some of the sport’s top stars also have been showing up where you’d least expect them.  For example, Tito Ortiz had a lengthy stint on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell starred in an episode of HBO’s “Entourage” and heavyweight Kimbo Slice became a phenomenon on YouTube before ever turning professional. Highlights of some title fights are even being covered by ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

As the fan base has grown, the sponsors have become bigger and more sophisticated.  It’s not just blood from some poor fighter’s head wound covering the mat, but logos for brands like Budweiser and Harley-Davidson.  MMA is never going to be a mainstream sport, but if you’re a marketer looking to reach young, blue collar guys, you ought to be paying attention and jump in while it’s still on the rise.

We’re always kicking around ideas, so we couldn’t help but take five minutes to have fun with a little brainstorming.  Thought we’d share a few:

1) Hershey’s Extra Dark “Shot in the Dark Match” – staged with the lights turned out in the arena and the fighters wearing glow-in-the dark gloves, trunks and body paint.

2) Ford Trucks “Built Ford Tough Mobile Matches” – fashion a makeshift cage in the back of a new extended cab pickup truck and create a guerilla marketing spectacle by traveling to high-traffic events with fighters brawling in the back.

3) Bud Light “Tough Guy Tap Out” – A lighthearted event featuring celebrities entering the cage with some of the world’s toughest MMA fighters and money going to charity for every second they last before “tapping out” from a submission hold.  Of course, plenty of free Bud Light would be on tap for spectators.

4) Lids.com “Search For America’s Ugliest Cauliflower Ear” – Cauliflower Ear is a badge of honor for some guys, while others just look at it and cringe.  I say let’s create an online contest judged by MMA fighter James Thompson, the man with the most outrageous ear I’ve ever seen. 

Which idea do you think would create the most buzz?