• Ad Age , Thursday, July 3, 2008 11:02 AM

Anheuser-Busch has asked three of its agencies -- DDB, Chicago, LatinWorks, Austin and Euro RSCG, Chicago -- for ideas on how to incorporate more of a "product benefit message" into Bud Light's always-humorous advertising.

Dave Peacock, A-B's top marketing executive, notes that some recent Bud Light ads have dabbled in this approach. A series of Super Bowl ads from February focused on superhero-like abilities drinking Bud Light could deliver, and when those humorously backfired, instead hawked "superior drinkability." Peacock wants to push A-B's ads in that direction.

In adopting a more product-focused approach, Bud Light seems to be taking cues from its rivals. No. 3 light beer Coors Light has boasted the sector's best growth trends of late, results that have been attributed to its consistent harping on "cold refreshment." And Miller Lite, which hasn't fared as well as its new MillerCoors sibling, has been touting itself as "the ultimate light beer," a claim focused on taste, calories and carbohydrates.

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