Bud Light will look a lot different in the new year.
The beer company this week unveiled a redesign for its cans, hoping the modern appearance is more appealing to Millennials. Gone is the color red, replaced by a deep blue. The company has also brought back its historic crest, which is likely a nod to the craft beer movement.
The first major overhaul of Bud Light’s visual identity in 80 years will include a reimagined Bud Light logo and contemporized primary and secondary packaging, the company said, and is part of a larger brand evolution underway at Bud Light.
“In 2016, we’ll put a more modern twist on Bud Light, from the way the brand looks to the way it acts,” said Bud Light vice president of marketing, Alexander Lambrecht, in a press release. “Our fresh new look . . . pays homage to our most iconic packaging of the past, yet feels current and unique with its bolder logo and distinctive blue color way”
Lambrecht hopes the new design will stand out in “what’s become a sea of sameness in the light beer category.”
The new look brine back the brewer’s historic “AB” crest – not used on Bud Light packaging since 2001. This is meant to emphasize “attributes that established the brand as the country’s most popular beer: premium ingredients, care in brewing, a crisp, clean finish and a smooth drinkability.”
Bud Light creative agency, Wieden + Kennedy New York, collaborated with the firm Jones Knowles Ritchie on the redesign.
“Consumers today want a brand with genuine brewing credentials,” said Tosh Hall, creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie. “Bud Light is leaning into its heritage and unrivaled brewing expertise in a way that’s looking forward, not back. The result is a confident and contemporary expression of a brand consumers have known and loved for decades.”
Jones Knowles Ritchie helped ensure the redesign would be cohesive with the new marketing campaign currently under development, the company said.. Earlier this year, Bud Light confirmed it would debut a new tagline and creative approach in time for Super Bowl 50.
The new Bud Light packaging will roll out nationwide in cans, and both glass and aluminum bottles, in early spring 2016.
