All For Bud Light and Dilly Dilly For All

Written by: Jesse Serra

Our recent “Off the Clock Happy Hour” invited industry professionals to network and enjoy a presentation by special guest, Miles Ritenour, Director of Marketing Communications at Bud Light. The house was full of people hungry to learn (and eat pizza), not to mention a couple of cold brews (we’ll let you guess what kind).

Ritenour shared an inside look at the well-known Bud Light campaign and “Dilly Dilly” phrase, delving into all of the ins and outs of what it took to make these adverts resonate so positively with a national audience.

But, creating a successful campaign wasn’t just about getting ahead of the competition or being considered the preferred brand. Ritenour also reiterated the impact and power of earned media and social influence, not just power within a single agency or organization.

“The best thing that we did when ‘Dilly Dilly’ took off was let people make it their own. All of this was born out of social listening,” explained Ritenour.

Bud Light seized the opportunity to expand from a local level to a national platform, which leveraged them as an influencer in their market. Having initially aimed at a niche audience, Bud Light broadened their scope to what could be accomplished on a larger scale.

In a short happy hour, Ritenour imparted insight and experience to keep in mind as we influence the market and create impactful change for our audiences.

Marketing Guidelines

1. Don’t activate just to activate
   If we’re aimlessly throwing things into the marketplace of ideas without concrete research and purpose, we will not see the result we set out to get. Point blank.
2. There must be a natural tie-in
   It’s about relationship and relatability. Get into the lives of your audiences and clients for the purpose of sending intentional and natural messaging.
3. Overly manufactured = pit of misery
   Overworking and overcomplicating a project when it could be kept simple, understandable and relatable is dangerous grounds.

Key Takeaways

1. Be people first, not consumer first
   We never want to label or assume whomever may be receiving our messages. Rather, we want to maintain a personalized channel and attend to the specific needs and wants of our audiences as to not look at them as simply a recipient of our product.
2. Be a partner to your partners
   As Ritenour explained, Bud Light allowed the audience to have the reigns and make the campaign their own. It’s time to link arms with our clients and audiences in order to stay on a level of compatibility and partnership.
3. Be ready for anything, at anytime
   Ritenour openly expressed the times of difficulty in balancing personal life and work life amid the busyness of this project. He faced the fact that work will demand your time and energy, so be ready for it – find balance and pursue work you can be passionate about and find fulfillment in.
4. Shut up and learn
   To put it frankly, you don’t know everything. Each of us are talented and gifted in different areas, but the only true way to continue success is to listen and learn from those around you.

As creators and innovators, we are working to channel into inspiration and create lasting impact in the market. We work to build and encourage each other in the direction of productivity and passion, which is what fueled Ritenour’s conversation regarding the Bud Light Dilly Dilly campaign that swept across the country. Once we embrace the power and influence of public engagement, we have can have a greater impact on our audiences, clients and society than we may ever realize.

A special thanks to Miles Ritenour, Brunner and all of the attendees for making this event a success! We wholeheartedly appreciate the team effort, words of wisdom and dedication to this organization and hope to see everyone at April’s Off the Clock event at Sienna Mercato.