Budweiser was created by an immigrant to America in 1876.

It was a new beer for a new world.

So to re-claim Budweiser’s place in culture for a new generation we did the same.

We set out to create a new beer for a new world.

So we tapped into the biggest cultural discussion of 2017: The mission to Mars

A brand experience just like when the brand was founded.

But this time the new world is beyond our own.

We partnered with retired astronauts and CASIS, which runs a division of the International Space Station (ISS).

And launched Budweiser’s long term commitment to create microgravity beer.

We loaded the key ingredient for beer onto an ISS-bound Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket.

And conducted experiments in orbit to get one step closer to microgravity beer.

Our official journey to Mars began with a panel discussion at SXSW. Here Budweiser announced its grand commitment alongside CASIS and former astronaut Clay Anderson.

We invited media and beer-lover-consumers to learn about the journey to Mars, and how Budweiser will be a part of it.

But the program didn’t stop there. Budweiser’s innovation team also worked closely with CASIS to determine a series of experiments needed to one day reach our goal of creating a microgravity beer, as there’s little oxygen on the Red Planet.

Eight months later, key Budweiser ingredients were loaded onto a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, bound for the International Space Station, as the first official experiment.

The programming inspired coverage across various media verticals, from food to tech to business news, even stimulating highly-respected space industry experts to write feature stories about our mission in outlets like TIME and Smithsonian Magazines.

Bud on Mars generated massive media attention and social conversation:

• 2,336 earned media placements

• 1.6B billion media impressions

• 521 million social impressions

Key placements:

• “Mission to space in the name of better beer” – CNN

• “When humans reach Mars, Budweiser wants to make sure there will be beer” – The Washington Post

• “You can send a man to the moon, but man is going to need beer to go to Mars” – Huffington Post

• “How good will life on Mars be if you can’t enjoy a cold beer?” – TIME

Business results:

• Biggest lift in brand health in 20 years.

• Consideration up 2.1% and brand penetration up 1.7% – and that’s a lot when you sell 4.4 billion beers per year.

And the program is only getting started. This November, the next Budweiser experiment will be launched into orbit.

Budweiser holds a special place in American culture.

A place that has to be re-claimed for every new generation.

And you can’t reclaim a place in culture without being part of it.

So we tapped into 2017's biggest cultural discussion: The mission to Mars

But instead of talking about how to get there, we focused on what to bring with us.

We let the world experience the essence of the Budweiser brand: ambition

And loaded the key ingredient for beer onto a rocket bound for the International Space Station.

Our in-orbit experiments became part of a global discussion.

Budweiser shares the belief of many space travel experts that life in space needs to be filled with the same enjoyments available here on earth (including beer)!

In other words: space colonialization will not happen until people can bring a piece of home along for the journey.

We joined with CASIS—a pivotal player in the journey to outer space—and made our announcement at SXSW, a festival that celebrates innovation.

Our strategy, to take the first real steps toward microgravity beer, was designed to appeal to both current Bud fans and new millennial drinkers.

And we earned attention from media and influencers by actually conducting our experiment in space. Target media: lifestyle, food, trade, business, technology.

Since its inception in 1876, Budweiser has been rooted in hard work and powered by ambition.

Adolphus Busch, the brand’s co-founder, went to America to defeat the odds and start what is often referred to as the King of Beers. Budweiser’s history is a story of commitment, passion and never giving up.

But this brand story of ambition has to be proven and earned for every new generation.