Budweiser won the hearts of NFL fans alike with their “Puppy Love” campaign, which aired during the Super Bowl this past Sunday.
With a reach of 43.2 million views, Budweiser was a true ad winner – receiving more than double the amount of views than the next runner-up commercial on the chart (which happened to be another Anheuser Busch commercial, “The Perfect Beer for Whatever Happens”). Not to mention, it placed number 5 amongst the most viral Super Bowl campaigns of all time just 12 hours after it’s official television debut. Anheuser Busch has always been a strong Super Bowl advertiser, but what really made this campaign stand out was the social integration Anheuser Busch used to reach the masses. By airing a preview of the commercial online several days before the television spot even aired, people were eager to check it out and share with friends. Garnering 71,240 tweets and 1,343,726 Facebook shares, likes, comments, and clicks, the interaction on these social sites were more than triple that of the next campaign. With the integration of #BestBuds, fans were able to participate in conversations online about the commercial as well as interact directly with the brand. Representatives of Anheuser Busch would engage with fans using the hashtag to answer questions and continue the hype about the commercial, as well as strengthen consumer relationships with the brand.