The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

May 31, 2017 | 2 min read

Earlier this year, Bud Light twisted the famous Budweiser Frogs to its own advertorial ends with the addition of its own amphibian that belches the word ‘Light’ but now its ramping up its bizarre campaign with the unveiling of a frog reality TV show.

Channel Frog is the brand’s 24/7 live stream of 17 real frogs, parodying the reality TV genre developed by Big Brother and evolved by the Kardashians. Right on point, it features clumsily inserted narrative like “Mood is sombre on the floor. A tannoy announcement has informed Preston and Conrad that their line manager Smaff Delaney has taken a ‘leave of absence’. Sure Smaff could be hard, but he was FAIR”.

That sentence will likely only make sense if you tune into the feed of the Splashback Dart Frogs. For one week there will be a constant stream of the daily ups and downs of the frogs.

Andre Finamore, Bud Light marketing manager, said: “The original Budweiser Frogs advert is a 90s icon, and we’re thrilled that the updated Bud Light version has been just as well received in the UK. Channel Frog is a chance for us to champion the frogs and toads that provided the inspiration behind both adverts, and give people the chance to follow these incredible animals for one week. We’ve had a lot of fun creating Channel Frog and have taken great care to ensure the welfare of the animals involved.”

For anyone concerned about the mental wellbeing of the frogs who will have to endure a reality TV format for a week, Bud Light assures that it is working with the amphibian care and research group, International Herpetological Society (IHS).

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