Background
Anheuser Busch InBev (ABI), the parent company of Budweiser, has always been a forward-thinking brand, constantly on the lookout for new technologies to benefit their business. In 2021, with the rapid growth and popularity of NFTs, it was only a matter of time before Budweiser started exploring this exciting new technology. Budweiser recognized the potential of NFTs and the impact they could have on the world of digital collectibles. They saw an opportunity to engage with their customers in a new and innovative way while creating a new revenue stream for the brand.
Fortune 500 company, Anheuser Busch InBev (ABI), parent of Budweiser, under direction of Vayner Media, has been exploring NFTs. Budweiser being a forward-thinking brand, has always kept a close eye on emerging technologies that could benefit their business. With the rapid growth and popularity of NFTs in 2021, it was only a matter of time before Budweiser started exploring this exciting new technology.
In fact, Budweiser was one of the first major brands to recognize the potential of NFTs and the impact they could have on the world of digital collectibles. They saw an opportunity to engage with their customers in a new and innovative way while creating a new revenue stream for the brand.
Challenge
The challenge for Budweiser was to use NFTs to engage their audience and sell them in a seamless solution that can be completed using credit cards. Budweiser needed a partner that could execute this dream, as there were only a few builders in the space who could bridge an audience that was just dipping their toes in the space or were not naturally native to crypto. Previous NFT drops of other projects and brands had the stigma of rug pulls and wasteful in gas because of poor deployment and delivery execution.
Solution
Partnering with PERCS, a builder in blockchain and ecommerce integration, Budweiser created a stunning collection of NFTs that paid homage to their iconic brand. The Budverse collection dropped on Cyber Monday, and fans could own a piece of history in the form of a digital collectible. Budweiser didn't stop there; they seamlessly integrated their NFT marketplace with their ecommerce platform on Shopify, allowing customers to browse, purchase, and trade these unique digital assets without ever leaving the Budweiser website. In addition, PERCS technology enabled Budweiser to be fully compliant through restricted access due to region-gating and age-gating requirements.
Web3 has the power to alter the way consumers interact with brands, and Anheuser-Busch is creating a long-term web3 strategy to anticipate this change and redefine its relationship with consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z of legal drinking age. As a public company and an early adopter, it was critical that Budweiser found the right partners to ensure proper security and compliance measures were in place. The PERCS team shares the same ambition and rigor, delivering NFT-powered experiences for fans of their brands, including Budweiser, both in e-Comm and IRL.
Julie Garneau, Anheuser-Busch InBev Senior Director, Head of NFTs, Blockchain & Metaverse
Results
Budweiser's NFT collection sold out in under 1 hour, and the success of the deployment was nothing short of phenomenal. Fans and collectors alike jumped at the chance to own a piece of Budweiser's history, resulting in a frenzy of sales and buzz across social media and news outlets. In the end, Budweiser's NFT deployment wasn't just a smart business move, it was a bold and pioneering leap into a new era of digital collectibles. It paved the way for innovative roles, transforming marketing teams into the industry standard of marketing to a wider and more engaging Web3 audience. And Budweiser proved once again that when it comes to innovation and engaging their customers, they're always ahead of the game.
We've worked with the PERCS team on several enterprise brand NFT programs, working hand-in-hand to help traditional companies move into the world of Web3. Driven by a spirit of true partnership, we've been impressed with their ability to develop and deploy custom solutions to support both drops and ongoing NFT community engagement activities.
Avery Akkineni, President @VaynerNFT
