There are few brands that conjure an image of Americana quite like Budweiser. Enter the season of Summer in the U.S., historically the biggest sales period for the beer category. Drinking occasions abound. Budweiser had a big opportunity to capture beer drinkers from the competition.

There was a lot of noise to cut through. Budweiser needed a strong point of view. To make a bold statement. To regain relevance and reverse the sales slump.

Our objectives were simple. Steal the Conversation and reverse the sales decline.

Ultimately, the AmeriCan packaging was about making an impossible-to-ignore statement about Budweiser and about America: Budweiser is America. America is Budweiser. What better way to commemorate the ‘most American Summer ever’ than to literally hold America in your hand?

The design of the primary packaging was carefully considered from the largest change to the smallest detail.

Our first objective was to spark conversation and make an unforgettable statement. With a packaging design in-hand, Budweiser ultimately succeeded in dominating the discussion when the can went public in early May. Following the packaging’s launch, Budweiser became the focus of 2,600+ unique stories in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Conan, The Today Show, and BroBible.com. All of that coverage totaled to 1.6 billion total earned impressions worldwide—more impressions than both of Budweiser’s Super Bowl 50 TV spots COMBINED.

Not only did we spark conversation and change perceptions of the brand among beer drinkers, we halted—and reversed—the sales decline. The AmeriCan went beyond talk value to truly affect Budweiser’s bottom line.