Hasta La Creative!

Anheuser-Busch InBev appointed Deutsch as lead creative agency for its family of Busch brands, which includes Busch, Busch Light and Busch Ice.

“Anheuser-Busch is the undisputed leader in the value beer segment, with Busch and Busch Light representing two of the Top 10 best-selling beers in the United States. As part of our ambition to continue to grow share and revitalize these important brands, we are pleased to add Deutsch to our roster as the lead creative agency for the Busch family of beers,” Anheuser-Busch senior director of value brands Chelsea Phillips said in a statement.

She went on to cite Deutsch’s “track record of inventive, award-winning CPG and beverage campaigns,” adding, “They’ve hit the ground running, bringing great energy and ideas to the table, and we look forward to a strong and productive partnership.”

The appointment comes without a review, as AB InBev reached out to Deutsch, which an AB InBev representative told Adweek is “an agency our marketing team has been watching.”

Previously, AB InBev worked with St. Louis agency Group360 on its Busch brands. Group360 will continue to work on some aspects of the account, even with Deutsch taking over lead creative duties. The client has also worked with 72andSunny, which crafted the brand’s “Busch Heroes” broadcast campaign in early 2014 but doesn’t appear to have worked with the client since then.

Deutsch deferred to the client when asked to comment. The IPG agency’s New York office will lead this account.

The appointment follows Uber picking Deutsch as its first U.S. agency partner earlier this month following a review. Back in May, the agency also won creative AOR duties for Pandora shortly after losing the Pizza Hut account to Droga5 and going through a subsequent round of layoffs in its L.A. office.

AB In Bev also transferred creative duties on another of its major brands, Bud Light, from BBDO to W+K last summer.

Anheuser-Busch InBev introduces Oculto, a new high-alcohol lager, with a roomful of men and women wearing masks inside a dark club in this spot from Mother New York.

The mood is mysterious and reminiscent of the party scene in Eyes Wide Shut. Not much happens, but Oculto’s ghoulish clear bottle appears prominently, and with good reason: It’s a cool piece of marketing in and of itself. The eye sockets of the skull light up when the beer is chilled. (Another shop, Antista Fairclough, worked on the packaging.)

Beyond this initial online ad, which was directed by Prettybird’s Melina Matsoukas and breaks Friday, the campaign includes events, social media marketing, outdoor ads and print ads, with a particular focus on the Miami market. The brand, which rolled out last month (on Friday the 13th, no less) is targeting 21- to 34-year-olds who are ambitious, free-sprited and “love the idea of a mashup,” said Harris Rabin, vp of global marketing on new brands at A-B InBev.

Oculto represents a new category for A-B—a 6 percent alcohol beer that’s infused with agave by being aged in barrels that are used to make tequila. The brewer’s marketing leaders are bullish about its prospects, though they declined to share sales expectations.

“This is obviously a big priority for the company. The level of investment is consistent with other big bets that ABI has made,” said John Steed, a marketing director at A-B InBev. Added Rabin: “For us, it’s all about unlocking the potential of nights out—those really special nights out with friends.”

Anheuser-Busch InBev has thrown down the gauntlet. Consumers in China must answer. An opportunity has presented itself for Budweiser enthusiasts to play creative director and develop an ad to commemorate the 2010 Chinese New Year.

There is one rule in this contest: the ad must feature ants. For the past decade, A-B InBev has incorporated the ant motif in every ad campaign for the Chinese New Year.

Paul Wong, the director of the Budweiser ants TV spots since 2003, said the ants depict “the Chinese national spirit of diligence, solidarity and intelligence.”

The digital contest was developed by A-B InBev’s marketing team in Shanghai to better engage the Chinese people by utilizing the Chinese video-sharing site, Tudou.com. The site will allow participants to write, draw and edit storyboards for a TV spot.

“We realized user-generated ideas and online video are both very popular among internet users at this stage, so this is the area that we want to use as well,” said Vivian Yeh, A-B InBev’s Shanghai based new media manager.

The grand prize winner will receive 100,000 RMB ($14,637) and will help produce the ad.

Note: I’d submit my own Budweiser Ants TV ad if it weren’t for my locale. I actually have a great idea for a spot. But to maintain the peace of mind of the contestants, I won’t divulge. However, I’ll tell you this… it involves myriad ants, an ant farm that extends across China, a sea of Budweiser brew, an eccentric panda and O’Hara from Enter the Dragon. Now, let it play out in your head…

Rohan Raj. Syrupy schmaltz. Finessing perpetual cadence. Boundless behemoth. Absence of mutual exclusivity? Priceless…Reach him via Twitter or LinkedIn.