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LIST OF BUDWEISER SLOGANS
- Not How Cheap, But How Good (1876-1890s)
- King of Bottled Beer (Late 1870s-1920s)
- King of All Bottled Beers (1915-1920)
- King of Bottled Beer (Returns) (1933-1950s)
- Where there’s life, there’s Bud (1957-1964)
- That’s Bud-that’s Beer (1964-1970s)
- This Bud’s for You (1979-1994)
- Brewed the Hard Way (2015)
NOT HOW CHEAP, BUT HOW GOOD
(1876-1890s)
This was Adolphus Busch’s foundational motto. It positioned Budweiser as a premium product compared to lower-quality beers that competed on cost. The slogan established the brand’s commitment to quality craftsmanship.
KING OF BOTTLED BEER
(Late 1870s-1920s)
This beer slogan was introduced following Budweiser’s trademark registration, lasting 40 years as the company’s main slogan. It was created so that the company could emphasize bottled beer when most competitors focused on draft consumption. Marketing materials leveraged Budweiser’s innovation in pasteurization and national distribution via refrigerated railroad cars. It helped Budweiser become America’s number-one beer brand, with millions of barrels of beer sold by 1901.
KING OF ALL BOTTLED BEERS
(1915-1920)
The previous slogan was slightly modified in 1915 when D’Arcy Advertising picked up the Budweiser account. They modified the original slogan as competition intensified pre-prohibition. When Prohibition did hit, continued advertising of alcohol wasn’t illegal, only sales. D’Arcy also created patriotic advertising featuring American heroes like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. They also mixed up the tagline to promote Bevo (near beer) and Malt-Nutrine. The campaign helped Budweiser survived, while over 50% of U.S. breweries went bankrupt during Prohibition.
KING OF BOTTLED BEER (RETURNS)
(1933-1950s)
Budweizer’s original slogan was relaunched on December 5, 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition. It was notably used during the 1952 Centennial celebration with the tagline “The beer of your lifetime… too.” During these years, Budweizer was the first beer company to sponsor a major network TV show (“The Ken Murray Show” on CBS, 1950).
WHERE THERE’S LIFE, THERE’S BUD
(1957-1964)
This was the first slogan to use the “Bud” nickname in its advertising—a shorthand that later carried an entire spinoff brand and Bud Light’s own run of taglines. It was also the first time the company used photography instead of illustrations, showing real people in casual situations. The slogan was launched the same year Budweiser became the #1 selling beer in America (overtaking Schlitz). It was associated with the “Pick-A-Pair”promotion, which encouraged the purchase of two six-packs instead of one.
THAT’S BUD-THAT’S BEER
(1964-1970s)
The following decade saw the use of the “That’s Bud-that’s Beer” slogan, which was featured in TV, radio, print, and outdoor advertising. It saw a continued quality/superiority theme during fierce competition with Schlitz. And it would live to see 10 million barrels of beer by 1964.
THIS BUD’S FOR YOU
(1979-1994)
This campaign was picked as one of four potential campaigns pitched by D’Arcy. The original concept was attributed to George Chapman, Anheuser-Busch’s head accountant in the 1940s. It came with a catchy voice in its ads: “To everyone who puts in a hard day’s work, this Bud’s for you.” Most ads reflected the Reagan-era working-class themes. With diverse workers like train conductors, lumberjacks, and welders. The slogan is largely attributed to Budweiser capturing over 35% of the U.S. beer market, ultimately reaching 51%. Anheuser-Busch pressed its advantage off the airwaves too, complaining to the FTC in 1990 about Coors’ Rocky Mountain spring water claim.
BREWED THE HARD WAY
(2015)
This slogan was Budweiser’s response to craft beer criticism, arriving five years after the company retired Bud Dry, one of the beers Anheuser-Busch stopped brewing. It helped the brand defend its macro beer brewing process as more difficult and precise than craft brewing and positioned Budweiser’s scale as a quality advantage rather than a disadvantage.
