• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, April 9, 2018

Bud Light has launched an orange variety for summer, and “refreshed” its lime variety, available year-round.

“Our millennial consumers are eager to try new, flavored options in the light lager category,” said Andy Goeler, vice president of marketing, Bud Light. “We wanted to create something new to engage with these consumers and bring them into the Bud Light family.”

Bud Light Orange will be available nationwide from April through September. Orange and Bud Light Lime — first released in 2008 — are being sold in new packaging featuring bright orange and lime colors and images of their respective citrus peels. 

The citrus varieties are being supported with new 15-second TV spots (“Earth,” and “You Can Taste It,” below) spotlighting that they’re brewed with real lime and orange peels. (Being brewed with the peels is new for the lime flavor — the "refresh" alluded to by AB InBev.)

The ads, from Wieden + Kennedy, debuted on April 8 during the Women’s U.S. versus Mexico soccer game, “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” and “Atlanta Social.”

Citrus flavors now account for 84% of the overall flavored beer category, and the orange-flavored beer segment has grown sixfold in the past five years, according to AB InBev. 

Despite the phenomenal buzz generated by the popularity of the “Dilly Dilly” phrase from its current ad series (part of its “Famous Among Friends” platform), Bud Light has yet to see a sales lift. 

In fact, the nation’s biggest beer brand saw its largest-ever annual volume sales decline — 5.7% — last year, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. In its fourth-quarter results, AB InBev reported that the brand lost 85 basis points of share in both the fourth quarter and full year. 

However, the brewer added that the “Dilly Dilly” campaign had made Bud Light the leading beer in social conversation in Q4, “solidifying the brand’s ‘Famous Among Friends’ positioning.” 

This year, AB InBev will “continue to leverage the popularity of the campaign, augmenting it with quality messaging and innovation,” the company stated. “We will continue to enhance our hyperlocal execution, building on our learnings from key test markets in 2017. We remain committed and focused on stabilizing Bud Light within its segment and improving its volume performance.”