Last weekend I returned home from a week-and-a-half long driving vacation to St. Louis and Lake Michigan.
Accompanying us on our trip was Barack Obama in the form of an audio book. Before I left, I downloaded Dreams of My Father from eMusic. Listening to Obama’s story as we crossed the country allowed us to get to know him better. While I’m normally not a fan of audio books (I prefer reading the real thing), I downloaded it on a whim the night before we left and was glad that I did.
The last time I had listened to an audiobook while driving it was on a cassette tape. My father and I were driving from California to New Hampshire 12 years ago. We alternated a Joseph Conrad novel Lord Jim with music and discussions.
This time, discussions with my parents were equally as interesting and important. We were in St. Louis for a party ending what we joked was the “2008 Wedding Tour” and also visited some old family friends at a house on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Seeing old family friends and watching the continuation of the beginning of a new marriage while listening to the multicultural life story of Barack Obama made for some contemplation of hope and change.
From a marketing and storytelling perspective, one of the more interesting experiences was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour in St. Louis.
I’ll gladly admit that I’m a beer snob. I’d never drink Budweiser by choice. In fact, there are times that I have opted for water or soda instead. That being said, I had been told the tour was something that I shouldn’t miss.
They were correct. The Brewery Tour was a marvelous example of the marketing of an American success story–a German immigrant creating a product and making it extraordinarily popular. The brewery tour was as much about how they make beer as it was about how they have presented it to the public. From the very beginning of the product, no detail was overlooked. ”Budweiser” was chosen because it sounded ethnic enough but still was easily pronounceable.
Early in the tour, you meet the legendary Clydesdales. You go into the historic stable and see their name placards. During the tour, the language used by the guides was specific with every adjective carefully chosen to build up the anticipation of the beer you were going to taste at the end.
You were told about how rice creates a special flavor for the beer.
You were told about the aging process and what it meant to be cold filtered.
You were told about how keeping the beer fresh for delivery was of the utmost importance.
When you arrived at the end of the tour, you were eager to taste the beer.
When you sipped it, you found you appreciated it just a little bit more because you understood it better. The cold, fresh beer pours out of the tap into the glass.
When you take a sip, someone says, “I think I taste the rice,” and “Yes, that’s the beechwood aging.” You nod knowingly.
Now, I’m not saying that Budweiser will now become my beer of choice. I can tell you about how they have created an experience that makes you feel that the product is special.
If I never drink Budweiser again (I am sure I will, sometime) at least I will have more respect for it.
For those curious, there was no mention of the InBev merger with Anheuser-Busch throughout the entire tour. The only acknowledgment was that Stella Artois and another Belgian beer were available for tasting. Locals who had recently taken the tour a few days before the announcement of the merger said the Belgian beers had not been available.
