What it had to solve
Promote a culture of smart alcohol consumption worldwide by reducing the harmful use of alcohol and encouraging changes in excessive drinking habits.
The idea
Since food in the stomach slows alcohol absorption, Budweiser changed its own name to 'Foodweiser' and printed appetising food on the cans: eat, then enjoy responsibly.
How it works
Cans carried hamburger, wing and fries designs with an 'eat and enjoy responsibly' message; activated in restaurants, bars and anywhere people drink Budweiser during Responsible Drinking Week 2021 — the first time the brand changed its name for the message.
What it did
58,000+ cans sold in Responsible Drinking Week, 15,600 hamburger, 21,000 wing and 19,000 fries orders, +32% responsible drinkers, +45% eating with a Budweiser, +39% share of voice; two Gold FAB Awards.
Background
In 2021, Budweiser launched Foodweiser, a campaign created with MullenLowe Delta to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and encourage changes in excessive drinking habits. The insight: the presence of food in the stomach prevents the rapid absorption of alcohol. So for the first time the brand changed its name — to Foodweiser — and integrated images of delicious food into the design of its cans: hamburgers, wings, fries and other snacks that pair with a Budweiser, each carrying the message 'eat and enjoy responsibly'.
The cans were activated in restaurants, bars and all the places where people usually enjoy a Budweiser, framing the smartest way to consume alcohol as combining it with favourite food. During Responsible Drinking Week, more than 58,000 cans were sold, alongside 15,600 hamburger orders, 21,000 orders of wings and 19,000 servings of fries; the brand reported +32% responsible drinkers, +45% more consumers enjoying their meal with a Budweiser, and +39% share of voice.
In June 2022 the campaign won two Gold FAB Awards — Direct Marketing and Best Use of Media — making MullenLowe Delta the only Latin American agency to take home two gold FABs in the same edition for the first time. CCO André Pedroso framed it as local creativity crossing borders on a social-impact idea.
Why it lands
The behaviour change was built into the product: the can itself tells you to eat, rather than an ad telling you to slow down.
Renaming the brand to Foodweiser made the message unignorable and ownable — a pledge the packaging physically keeps.
Food pairing converts a moderation message into an appetising purchase cue, so bars had a reason to display it.
What you can take
Don't just attach a moderation message — rebuild the product so the responsible behaviour is the easiest one to perform.
Since then
Foodweiser won two Gold FAB Awards in June 2022; the material records no figures beyond Responsible Drinking Week.
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