Drink-a-Pint

AdWeek is reporting that Bud.TV’s future might be in limbo:

The future of Anheuser-Busch’s Bud.TV, which the brewer introduced with much fanfare early last year, remains in limbo, according to the company’s top media executive. Speaking at the Association of National Advertisers TV conference in New York yesterday, Tony Ponturo, president and CEO of the Busch Media Group, was less than enthusiastic about the service’s prospects. He described the online content offering as, “Not totally dead yet,” and insisted that the company wouldn’t kill the service altogether because, if nothing else, it provides, “a valuable link to the creative community.” And it’s creatives, after all, who produce ads.

While being “not totally dead” is definitely a notch above being dead, it’s not quite a vote of confidence for something Anheuser-Busch has invested about $50 million into since its launch. Now, I know I’m not the best with higher math, but how many six-packs of Bud and Bud Light is THAT? At an average of $5.50 per six-pack, A-B could have given away 9,090,090 six-packs and probably would have been better off! I can just imagine the promotion and the goodwill it would have generated. I don’t even like Bud, but I’d feel at least a twinge of guilt if they gave me a free six-pack and I didn’t return the favor by buying at least one at some point. It’s just like walking by the Chinese food place at your local mall where they give out the sample of general tso chicken on a toothpick. Even if I just ate lunch, I still feel bad taking it and walking away.

Maybe that should be Bud’s next promotional endeavor! Have someone standing in local malls giving away free bottles of Bud. Invest $50 million in THAT and you can almost give 20% of the country a beer. Genius…