Budweiser's lockdown party kits came with animal paws that hold your beer

Late 2020 in China: Budweiser's consumers prefer going out to let off steam, their favourite venues were shut, and the brand needed to stimulate business while bringing fun into the home.

'Unleash Your Party Animal' home kits carried Heads-Up-style guessing games and animal paws built to hold a can; two retro-styled films, 'Disco Wolf' and 'Smiley Cat', were directed by Kan Wing Ho with a vintage-Chinese-movie aesthetic, running on social media and JD.

After a successful pilot in Chengdu, 4,000 packs sold out within three days and the campaign generated over 10 million social media impressions; a 2.0 version on more channels was announced.

At the end of 2020, Budweiser and Serviceplan Shanghai launched a social media campaign designed as light relief for Covid lockdown: 'Unleash Your Party Animal' home party kits, accompanied by two films, 'Disco Wolf' and 'Smiley Cat', depicting the uninhibited party guest as a wolf throwing shapes and a cat with an irresistible smile.

The kits' drinking games were inspired by the charades game 'Heads Up', with a twist Budweiser called unique: the game comes with animal paws designed for holding a can of Budweiser, inspiring players to unleash their inner party animal. Serviceplan Shanghai group creative officer Kan Wing Ho conceived the paws — the 'Home Party Animal World' — and directed the two spots, which carry a quirky retro aesthetic inspired by vintage Chinese movies.

Covid had been "a brutal blow" for a brand whose consumers socialise in restaurants, karaoke bars and nightclubs, so Budweiser chose to provide real-life solutions for home gatherings rather than simply advertise. The campaign ran on social media and e-commerce platform JD. After a successful pilot launch in Chengdu, 4,000 packs sold out within three days, and the campaign generated over 10 million social media impressions.

Lockdown removed the product's entire social occasion — the answer was to rebuild that occasion inside the home, not to mourn it.

The paws turn a drinking game into a shareable, filmable gesture: the brand becomes the party's props, not its sponsor.

Selling kits on JD and social media converted the idea directly into sales — 4,000 packs gone in three days after the Chengdu pilot.

The retro film aesthetic gave a global beer brand a distinctly local, meme-able tone for Chinese social feeds.

When your product's occasion disappears, ship the occasion: props that carry the brand into the home beat advertising about staying home.

The kits sold out their first run and Budweiser brand manager Ario Liu said the brand looked forward to a 2.0 version launched on more channels. No further results were published in the announcement.