Budweiser, no stranger to the Super Bowl, used its coveted minute of advertising airtime to celebrate the American dream – a central theme for the brand in 2017. To officially kick off its yearlong campaign, the brand is premiering a cinematic piece of the film titled, "Born the Hard Way," telling Budweiser's storied history of inception in the mid-1800s. However, a single picture of what the American Dream can be for one person is not nearly enough to resonate with people to create an authentic story of hard work and success. The brand needed to demonstrate that all sorts of dreams and passions are worthy of the spotlight, especially if it highlighted the hard work and dedication of the many different faces and backgrounds that make up the fabric of America.
We decided to highlight passionate craftspeople that choose to work “the hard way,” focusing on mastering their craft instead of mass producing or “selling out” to make their end products easier to make and sell. By also focusing on diverse backgrounds and walks of life, we were able to capture what makes our country unique while adding positive brand sentiment within the stories as a champion of hard work and dedication to craft- similar to the Budweiser brand story.
The campaign included several hero videos as well as an anthem piece in a docu-style format. The pieces followed the day and life of several entrepreneurs, including a knife maker, surf board artist, and 2 other artisan entrepreneurs with unique stories that added depth to the original HardWay campaign, creating longer and more relevant engagements between the brand and a wider audience. The ads ran on multiple platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.