Budweiser Tests Mobile Coupons with Facebook Campaigns

budweiserLeading American brewer Anheuser-Busch is testing two new promotions which enable Facebook users to send friends mobile coupons for beer.

The Bud Light Birthday and Buds for Buds campaigns, which are being tested in Denver and Chicago in the US, are promoted through posts in the Facebook news feed, and enable users to gift their friends a free Bud Light beer. After purchasing the beer, a mobile voucher is sent to the recipient, which can be redeemed in-person at participating bars and restaurants.

Following the testing period, the company hopes to roll the campaign out nationally by the end of the year. The pilot programs were developed in partnership with AKQA and Facebooks Creative Shop, and are powered by merchant integration technology platform Gratafy, which enables the in-venue mobile redemption.

“Beer is the original social network,” said Lucas Herscovici, vice president of consumer connections at Anheuser-Busch. “This new campaign focuses not on a gift certificate or credit, but on bringing people together to celebrate lifes most anticipated moments. Whether youre toasting your birthday, a job promotion, an engagement, or simply the end of a long work week, we want to encourage everyone to bridge the physical and digital worlds by allowing you to send your friend a beer over Facebook.”