ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch, its employees and wholesalers have supported America's armed forces through numerous programs and philanthropic efforts over the years. These have included lending resources, raising funds for veterans and assisting dependents of military families. But until now, Budweiser is now using social media to help direct where in the United States a portion of this support could go with a new summer program that uses a free smartphone app called Blippar.
This summer, Budweiser and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation will donate two cents per case of Budweiser sold from May 5 to July 4, 2013, with a maximum donation of $1.5 million, to the Folds of Honor Foundation. The brand is asking its customers to help choose which states could receive a portion of the proceeds.
The brand is asking adult beer consumers to download Blippar from the iPhone store or Google Play and to "Blipp the Bowtie" by opening the app and aiming the smart phone screen at the Budweiser bowtie logo found on all Budweiser packaging, including the new "red, white and blue" packaging now in stores. This triggers the interactive mobile experience.
They then pick a state to help determine where a portion of the philanthropic support could be directed as they learn more about the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the families of soldiers wounded or fallen while serving their country.
"The 10 states with the most support are eligible to receive a total of $100,000 of dedicated scholarship funds in 2014," said Lori Shambro, director of Budweiser. "So we are taking $100,000 of our larger donation and asking people to help us direct where that portion goes. And perhaps more importantly, the app also drives awareness for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which Budweiser has supported with more than $5 million in donations since 2010."
Through a series of videos available through the Blippar app, Budweiser drinkers get a chance to "meet" some of the men and women who have benefited from the support of Folds of Honor.
Each Folds of Honor scholarship has an approximate value of $5,000, allowing Budweiser to provide up to 300 scholarships from coast to coast from this summer 2013 program.
At the end of the summer, the company will allocate two Folds of Honor 2014 scholarships for eligible applicants to the top 10 states that consumers choose based on the Blippar program.
"We've used Blippar for other brand programs, but never in a philanthropic program designed to generate awareness of a non-profit while encouraging consumers to support their local community," said Lucas Herscovici, vice president of digital for Anheuser-Busch. "This program gives us a unique way to use technology to enhance our longstanding relationship with the Folds of Honor Foundation in a way that Budweiser drinkers can share the experience with friends through Twitter, Facebook, email and Google Plus."
Jess Butcher, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Blippar, said, "Blippar is excited to be part of this incredibly worthwhile Budweiser campaign and proud to use our innovative technology to help direct financial support to deserving military families. Our technology enables static images--like Budweiser's iconic logo--to come to life instantly, connecting the physical with the digital and allowing the user to actively engage with the Budweiser brand."
Blippar, based in New York, is an image-recognition platform for smartphones and tablets, bringing physical newspapers, magazines, products, signage and merchandising to life. It enables users to unlock the physical world with stunning interactive, digital content experiences and engage with their favorite brands, publications and celebrities via their mobile devices.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch brews Budweiser and Bud Light. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev.
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