• by Erik Oster , September 2, 2023

Bud Light's football season marketing blitz continues, with the brand expanding to college teams with a campaign including sponsorships, packaging, promotional giveaways, a concert series, and media partnerships.

In addition to officially sponsoring some 50 college football teams, the brand is releasing its largest-ever collection of limited-edition Bud Light College Team Cans, with 20 different teams represented, available at stadiums and across Bud Light’s national distribution network.

The brand is also orchestrating a college edition of its Bud Light Backyard Tour scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights, as pregames to top college football showdowns. Concerts will feature performances from dance music duo Loud Luxury, as well as DJs such as ACRAZE and Ship Wrek. The tour kicked off Sept. 1 in Austin, Texas –--ahead of Rice University taking on the University of Texas -- and concludes on Nov. 24 in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Ohio State University versus University of Michigan match

“Saturday is a sacred time for college football fans, one that is centered around all-day tailgate traditions, quality beer, decades-old rivalries and easy enjoyment with friends and family,” Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Todd Allen said in a statement. "This season, Bud Light is extending these fan celebrations over the course of the weekend with new team packaging perfect for gameday sipping, and live events that will get fans in gameday mode right as the weekend kicks off.”

On Saturdays, the brand will also host Bud Light Backyard Tailgate events featuring interactive games, “photo moments” designed for social media feeds, and, obviously, Bud Light. Media partnerships with the Big10Network, NBC, and Paacock, will provide live look-ins to the events during gameday broadcasts.

The college football marketing kickoff follows the opening drive of Bud Light’s big NFL campaign, “Easy to Sunday” last week -- an effort which also saw team cans as a central focus, and which represented one of the brand’s biggest-ever NFL season marketing investments in the wake of a quarter of declining sales leading to Modelo Especial overtaking it as top beer brand.

Modelo is also in the midst of a drive to appeal to college football fans. Built around its status as “The Official Beer of the College Football Playoff” and a celebration of “Full-Time Fans,” it marks Modelo’s largest-ever marketing campaign. Fellow rival Coors Light, meanwhile, is touting its ESPN College Gameday sponsorship and partnerships with 30 college teams.