Budweiser takes on experimental marketing in India with BudX
Budweiser has held a two-day event in India called BudX that brings together a group of emerging and established local artists, influencers and international talent.
Organized with the help of Virtue, Vice’s creative agency, the event was held in Mumbai’s Mehboob Studios, to showcase collaboration and empowerment for all talent.
It featured performances from hip-hop, bass, techno, and undercurrent artists like Mumbai’s leading “gully rap” proponent Divine, electronica act Ox7gen, broadcasting platform Boiler Room, Britain’s drum 'n' bass act Sub Focus, and hip-hop crew Foreign Beggars.
In addition, there were also daytime programmes of masterclasses and seminars, with sessions exploring themes and topics central to the creative community such as building inclusive artist agencies, promoting responsible clubbing and self-care, and exploring the multifaceted history of hip-hop in India.
For Mixx, a platform challenging gender norms and patriarchal systems, BudX created a dedicated safe space booth aimed at generating awareness around gender neutrality, inclusiveness and LGBTQ culture. It also partnered with environmental solutions firm Skrap to create an event centred on sustainability and responsibility.
There were also interactive installations, art experiences, and a custom-made skate ramp available for event-goers.
“Vice has been a long-standing partner of ABInBev, both in India and overseas, which adds a great deal of promise and excitement to our flagship project, BUDX, executed in partnership with their creative agency, Virtue,” said Kartikeya Sharma, the vice president of marketing for South Asia at AB InBev.
“The BudX vision is to nurture and shape music culture in India, by providing emerging artists the opportunity to collaborate with and be mentored by some of the biggest names in music worldwide. We believe that BudX 2019 has taken Budweiser’s long-standing journey in music to the next level, and we will have truly co-created the future of music with India’s emerging artist communities.”
