Budweiser Gets Fancy

Lets talk about Budweiser’s new beer can that is set to debut May 6th.  If you haven’t heard or haven’t gathered from the above image Budweiser is doing something really crazy, they are purposely crushing their cans!! No, just kidding, that isn’t what they are doing. They have made their cans into the shape of a bow-tie to mimic their iconic bow-tie shaped logo.  According to Pat McGauleyAnheuser-Busch vice president of innovation, the can was truly a feet of engineering.

“We explored various shapes that would be distinguishable in the marketplace but also viable from an engineering standpoint…Aluminum can be stretched only about 10 percent without fracturing, which requires that the angles of the bow tie be very precise.”

I think the shape is cool, I think it is innovative from a marketing standpoint, and I think it will attract customers. What I don’t think is that the can is, or was, worth all the time and resources they allegedly put into it. The company says it,

“has made significant equipment investments to can-making facilities and packaging lines at the Budweiser breweries in Los Angeles and Williamsburg, Va.”

I think that money, brain power and energy could have gone to a better cause, but who am I to preach! What do you think?