Send-A-Beer: People on Facebook May Now Gift Friends with Bud Light and Budweiser via New Pilot Program by Anheuser-Busch

09 Sep 2014 --- Thanks to a new pilot from Anheuser-Busch running exclusively on Facebook, adults 21 and older in Denver and Chicago – and soon, the rest of the country – will be able to easily give their friends the best gift of all: beer.

Bud Light Birthday and Buds for Buds debut, with people on Facebook prompted through posts in their News Feed to gift their friends a free Bud Light to complement their traditional Happy Birthday wishes or buy a Budweiser for friends to celebrate other occasions. In both cases, an online voucher will be sent to the recipient, which they can redeem in-person at a local bar or restaurant upon showing a state-issued ID to verify they are of legal drinking age.

"Beer is the original social network. This new campaign focuses not on a gift certificate or credit, but on bringing people together to celebrate life's most anticipated moments," said Lucas Herscovici, Anheuser-Busch vice president of consumer connections. "Whether you're toasting your birthday, a job promotion, an engagement, or simply the end of a long work week, we want to encourage everyone to bridge the physical and digital worlds by allowing you to send your friend a beer over Facebook."

In recent years, Anheuser-Busch has been a trailblazer in reaching people via digital media. Currently, Bud Light reaches 40 million consumers monthly on the platform. This past February, Budweiser's "Puppy Love" was the most shared Super Bowl ad on Facebook, garnering over 1.3 million shares.

The Buds for Buds and Bud Light Birthday pilot programs were developed in partnership with AKQA, Anheuser-Busch's digital innovation agency of record, and Facebook's Creative Shop.

No external application must be downloaded to gift or redeem a Budweiser or Bud Light via Facebook. People who click on the News Feed post will be taken to a customized mobile or desktop experience to send or claim a beer. Gift delivery and fulfillment is powered by Gratafy, whose merchant integration technology platform enables simple in-venue mobile redemption.