Brian Solis: Anheuser-Busch Fuses PR with Social Media to Humanize Stories and Ads

[Jason Kintzler]

Here's a great post from PitchEngine member, Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks. I wanted to share this as it's a great example of putting the pieces together for a great, viral PR strategy. By utilizing the PitchEngine SMR in conjunction with a phenomenal corporate newsroom, Anheuser-Busch is able to truly communicate across the web. Thanks to Brian for letting us share it here!

Anheuser-Busch Debuts AB-Extras.com; Fuses PR with Social Media to Humanize Stories and Ads
Disclosure: I am collaborating with Anheuser-Busch on the creation and release of AB-Extras.com

Today Anheuser-Busch announced AB-Extras.com – a social media destination for Bud fans 21 years of age and older to reveal the human element and stories behind the ads that will premier during the Big Game.

AB-Extras.com is a unique social platform for the internal PR team at Anheuser-Busch to also work more effectively with traditional and digital press and bloggers using the tools and services that they rely upon to publish and share stories.

AB-Extras.com features exclusive content using a combination of social tools and networks such as Social Media Releases (SMRs), YouTube, Blip.TV, and flickr, hosted on a blog platform. At the very least, it is a dedicated online newsroom that aggregates and packages disparate social elements from across the Web into a contextualized storyboard that streamlines the viewing, sourcing, and distribution of relevant information.

The press team at Anheuser-Busch is actively exploring the inherent benefits and opportunities of genuinely participating in the important and relevant conversations that are transpiring across the Social Web.

They’re learning from individual experiences driven by this new form of engagement to further evolve its communications methodologies and practices and also improve the foundation for building relationships. As the team is listening and internalizing activity, analysis, and feedback, they will also define new policies and amendments to the PR regiment in order to embrace public conversations through social networks and micro communities including Facebook, Twitter, and FriendFeed.

I’m also learning that much in the same way that public companies abide by existing processes and language when communicating through press releases for example, there are guidelines and procedures designed to help alcohol companies practice corporate responsibility not only in PR, but also in online community engagement.

I’m looking forward to working with Anheuser-Busch to further explore new ways to enhance and humanize the interaction between companies, journalists, bloggers, and the very consumers who contribute to the interpretation, perception, and dissemination of their story.

Press Release on PitchEngine

Anheuser-Busch Debuts AB-Extras.com - Get more Business Plans

[Adam Shelton]

I'm not placed to comment on AB without knowing their goals and strategies (and wouldn't be so presumptuous!). But the toolset is pretty standard these days, it's now a matter of everyone working out how to best to use them to get results.

I found a recent case study about airline SouthWest's social media work very useful and informative.

[Jason Kintzler]

Hi Adam, This post is a guest post shared with us by Brian Solis. The idea here is that AB (and others like them) are making huge strides to make their PR and media relations initiatives more conversational. While it may not always open the brand up for direct-communication with consumers, things that engage them are far more powerful than the typical press release posted on a corporate news page. In this case, the FutureWorks PR Social Media Release offers direct-contact for media, with the included Twitter info, etc.,

I appreciate the dialogue around this topic. What suggestions do you have to help better AB engage?

[Adam Shelton]

Hi Jason, I enjoyed reading your post on the AB social media initiative ... when I went to the AB-Extras site I could see a number of videos for online viewing but no other social media tools (i.e no way to communicate back to AB, except I guess making comments at the Flickr and Youtube channels) -- did I miss something?