• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, March 2, 2012

If you ever wondered where your beer came from (well, beyond the gruff waitress or sticky bar top), then Anheuser Busch says, this QR code is for you. In a campaign aimed at promoting the quality and local roots of its brewing process, the Budweiser brand has created the “Track Your Bud” program that gives drinkers the progeny of the brew they are imbibing.

QR codes on the bottles themselves or entering a “Born on Date” code from the bottles into the downloadable “Track Your Bud” app or the TrackYourBud.com trigger an elaborate landing page with custom content from one of 12 Bud breweries around the country. Videos of brew masters, details about the brewing process, and highly interactive images on the landing page not only outline the history of the brew, but also allow you to save and track the beers you have been drinking.

Unlike all too many QR code prompts, this is one use of the mobile activation methods that delivers an immersive and rich payoff. But it required a considerable investment of time and resources, according to Budweiser VP Robert McCarthy. “Every batch has its own unique code for 12 breweries,” he says. “We sent a production crew to every single one of the breweries, talked to the employees and spent a lot of time with the brew master.”

The landing pages include swipe-able  photo galleries with rich pop-up captions, links to beer trivia questions and extensive video chronicling each part of the beer-making procedure. And there are a lot of images and clips of thirst-inducing beer-pouring.

Part of the mobile experience is sharing. The iOS and Android apps can connect to Facebook and share their Budweiser experiences with friends and connect with others. McCarthy says that on the back end they are not hammering consumers for information in order to pull them into an extended CRM effort. “We are trying not to ask too much of people. "We want this to be easy access. We ask people to connect through Facebook. We are not trying to get them in, but to enhance the total experience from social networking. We will be able to tell people who of their friends also checked in.”

The larger brand effort is intended to communicate the quality of the brand through localized, personal stories. “It is a celebration of the fact that there are 12 breweries in the U.S. and 12 brew masters, each of whom is responsible for every single bottle. We are celebrating the pride that goes into the beer.”

The campaign was developed with Bud’s agency Anomaly. The QR codes were introduced to the packaging last year when Bud relaunched with a new design.