Bud. Bud. Bud-Weis. Bud-Weis. Er.

Tonight at dinner, I had one of my all time favorite meals of Lasanga. To compliment the pasta I had a great American Beer, Budweiser. Budweiser, along with Bud Light and other variations of the "King of Beers", is famous in the United States and the most popular brand in the U.S. beer market. However, it was in fact the first time I had actually seen it in Brazil in my almost two months of living here. Many conversations with businessmen here in Brazil have been shared over a drink or two at a restaurant or bar. However, you will rarely find Budweiser (or any other American beer for that matter) on tap or in the bottle at local Brazilian establishments.

The King of Beers is not King in Brazil... yet.

In 2008, Budweiser was purchased by InBev (which has roots in Brazil), however the popular American brand has not yet been expanded to Brazil. Until now. Inbev is slowly rolling out Budweiser as a premium priced beer (they also did the same in China), which was also the topic of discussion with a few businessmen in Rio de Janeiro last weekend. The price of the beer will be much higher than local beers and Inbev is hoping to capitalize on the marketing of "America in a bottle". They hope to do this through the use of celebrities such as local hero and MMA star Anderson Silva. InBev also sponsored a number of concerts under the Budweiser banner in September, at Rock in Rio 2011 and elsewhere, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Britney Spears, Rhianna, and Eric Clapton among those being supported. It is a business case that will someday be a part of the Harvard Business School's case studies that strategy and marketing classes across the world will use to study the impact of marketing and globalization.

One quote that sparks an interest from me is “Budweiser is an international icon and has a youth appeal. Brazil and the United States, simultaneously, will be the first to receive the new identity with Budweiser. Budweiser will be the face of the global InBev,” said by an InBev Executive. Budweiser has always used great marketing tactics to appeal to a wide range of audiences, including the controversially targeting of the younger crowd. Budweiser has consistently produced the best commercials during the "Super Bowl" which is almost as famous for marketing advertisements as it is for the championship of the NFL. From the greatness of the Clydesdale horses, to the firefighting dalmatian, to talking lizards.  Remember those adorable Budweiser Frog commercials? It was another great example of branding and marketing through advertisements. That's why I started drinking beer at the age of 12. Just kidding! Below is a compilation that I found on YouTube and wanted to share with you to bring back those great memories.