Beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev is creating a new internal entertainment division, according to a March 22 article by Insider. The department, called DraftLine Entertainment, will be led by AB InBev marketer Lauren Denowitz and is set to be part of the company’s ad agency.
The corporation will partner with production company Sugar23 to create films, television series, and podcasts with the intention of selling to streaming platforms. AB plans to target media consumers that aren’t being reached by traditional advertising formats, as the number of people solely relying on streaming services for entertainment continues to rise.
“For decades, Anheuser Busch InBev has been known as one of the world’s best advertisers, dominating the media landscape and connecting with consumers on stages as big as the Super Bowl and as small as an iPhone screen. But the media landscape, and the consumer base who engage with brands in it, are evolving. And, therefore, we need to follow suit,” Denowitz states in a Linkedin role update.
Denowitz, who has six years of experience at AB InBev under her belt and led marketing for Stella Artois U.S. during her most recent role, will serve as the studio’s global leader. Denowitz shared some insight into the new development in the recent Linkedin post:
“My goal is to help AB unlock growth via entertainment by reimagining what brand storytelling could look like if unbound by seconds-long interruptive ads, and determine the shape of what lies at the intersection of beer x culture x storytelling,” Denowitz states.
The studio will collaborate with Jae Goodman, who created the Observatory agency and assisted in Nike’s launch of its Waffle Iron Entertainment studio.
This isn’t the first time that AB InBev has pursued video storytelling to market its wide portfolio of beers. In 2007, AB launched an online entertainment network — Bud.TV — and later developed a subsequent talk show, according to a March 24 Beer Business Daily newsletter. The series, called “Not a Sports Show,” was created in partnership with Panay Films and was launched on a free streaming platform.
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