Is Bud Light’s New Label Packaging Effective?

Spring signifies renewal and promise, so what better time than now for Bud Light to give its packaging a makeover? The redesign, which is Bud Light’s first major overhaul in eight years, marks the return of Anheuser-Busch’s crest—an image that has been notably absent from all label packaging since 2001. (Anheuser-Busch InBev owns the Bud Light brand.) In addition, the color red is no longer being used as an accent color—or anywhere for that matter, as Bud Light has opted for bold, blue cans and packaging labels.

It was important to Bud Light corporate for the redesign to highlight the iconic brand’s key attributes: “premium ingredients and a heritage of distinctive care in brewing.”

“We’re proud to introduce our fresh new look, which pays homage to our most iconic packaging of the past, yet feels current and unique with its bolder logo and distinctive blue colorway,” Alexander Lambrecht, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, said in a press release. “It’s a more intentional communication of the brewing excellence and premium light beer that goes into every bottle and can.”

Constantia Flexibles, a leading manufacturer of flexible packaging and labels, supplied all of the labels and helped to bring the concept to life. According to the release, the Constantia Flexibles team worked closely with A-B InBev to provide two rounds of printed prototypes showing multiple design options. Just two weeks after the second round of prototypes, the labels went to production.

The transition was smooth, with only one minor challenge encountered along the way: The neck label on the 7 oz. bottles was altered to prevent wrinkling. The issue did not interfere with national market introduction.

The new Bud Light graphics feature metalized pressure sensitive film and gravure printing.

This isn’t the first time A-B has given one of its top brands a facelift. Last year, Budweiser cans and bottles sported their first label redesign in four years, with platinum replacing gold detailing.

We want to know what you think of Bud Light’s new design. Are these packaging changes enough to stand out on crowded shelves? And, more importantly, can this design impress millennial beer drinkers, while introducing Bud Light as an authentic, legacy brand? Sound off in the comments section below.