Budweiser campaigns to prevent buds bailing

The beer brand is partnering with the NHL to encourage people to make time for hockey, without excuses.

Budweiser is encouraging more men to hang out with their friends. Naturally, as an official beer brand of the NHL, Budweiser is using hockey as a means to that end. Hockey and some light shaming, that is, thanks to the league’s digitally enhanced dasherboards and billboards in major Canadian cities.

Starcom is handling media for the campaign, while Anomaly is leading creative, and Veritas is supporting with PR.

Last week, Budweiser released the findings of its 2024 Friendship Survey highlighting the growing friend recession, especially among men. The survey, which was conducted by Ipsos, shows 75 per cent of men are seeing their friends less, up 6 per cent from last year. Only 8 per cent get together more than once a week – a 6 percentage point decrease from 2023.

What’s more, the survey found that men aren’t just not making plans with their friends, they are cancelling them when they’ve been made. In fact, 48% of men say they have cancelled plans using a made up excuse.

“To mend the friendship recession, Budweiser is encouraging Canadians to ‘make time for hockey, not excuses,’ a campaign designed to call buds out for bailing on their friends and bring them back together during hockey season,” Budweiser explained in a statement. “As the number-one beer in Canada, partnering with the number-one sport, this campaign is a rallying cry to reach a national audience of buds from coast to coast.”

According to the Friendship Survey, nearly a quarter of men would think twice about bailing on their friends if they were called out publicly for it. This is where the shaming comes in. To hold friends accountable and ensure they think twice before cancelling, Budweiser is inviting Canadians to submit the most outrageous excuses they’ve received to maketimeforhockey.ca for a chance to be displayed on national television in Canada via the NHL’s Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards (DEDs) and on OOH “bail boards” throughout Canadian cities.

While men are a key part of its audience, according to Budweiser, this campaign is for all hockey fans. “Hockey has a unique way of bringing buds together, regardless of generation, and that’s what we’re tapping into,” the company adds.