George Armstrong Custer is perhaps one of the most controversial and renowned army officers in the American Indian War and the American Civil War. Custer was able to rise quickly through army ranks to become cavalry commander in spite of graduating last in his class. Custer military prowess secured him an immortality status among the Americans, which was further stamped by Budweiser was known as Anheuser-Busch during Custer’s time. Budweiser rode on Custer’s achievements at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, to push for the sale of its alcoholic products. At the time, Cassilly Adams a renowned painter made a painting of this battle and named it Custer’s Last Fight, which then inspired Anheuser-Busch promotional campaign. However, Budweiser no longer makes use of such hostile advertisements but rather embraces politically relevant advertisements to appeal to its clients.
George Armstrong Custer inspired Anheuser-Busch an American beer company following his heroic conquests during the American Civil war and the American Indian War. In 1986 Custer led the 7th Cavalry Regiment into the Battle of the Little Bighorn to fight off Native American tribes 1 . Unfortunately, this would be his last battle to mark the end of his prowess at the battle. This final battle, however, did not mean the end of Custer's legacy but instead, it was a time to make him an immortal. Coincidentally, Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association was beginning the production of Budweiser beer in the United States. Keen on attracting a huge clientele base, Anheuser-Busch rode on the events of Battle of the Little Bighorn, which was popularized by Cassily Adams through his painting Custer’s Last Fight. Adolphus Busch, the company's founder, came up with an advertising campaign based on that battle to show resilience and strength by buying the painting from Cassily 2 . Adolphus went ahead to make prints of the painting which was distributed all over the US setting the pace for the company to penetrate the US market. Consequently, the company introduced the ‘super premium’ brand during the same which received significant sales. Eventually, using Custer’s prints, Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association was able to expand its operations and open up more facilities to deal with the new demand.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The 19th century Americans viewed Custer as a hero who was ready to put his life at stake for the sake of his country. Moreover, the 19th-century Americans saw Custer as a great general who stood by his men even in the face of defeat to advance their philosophy. In essence, these 19th century Americans would not fail to determine that Custer had been given a great responsibility of leading the 7th Calvary 3 . This Calvary, which had been tasked with the responsibility of pushing the Sioux onto the reservations, required a commander who was diligent. The United States knew that Custer would be the right man for the job going by his past conquests and remarkable rise through the army ranks.
Unlike the 19th century Americans who feel that Custer was heroic following his conquests and military prowess, the modern Americans think that Custer was quite egoistic. This proposition can be supported by the fact that Custer loved attention and is, in fact, the most photographed army officer of his time.
Moreover, the modern Americans think that Custer led his men to their deaths in spite of being warned against going in the battle by General Alfred Terry. Additionally, it is clear that before Custer and his men marched to the battle, some of his men raised concerns regarding his leadership capabilities. On Civil war, modern American thinkers believe that Custer was a man who was a self-seeking individual who placed his need of being recognized above his soldiers’ needs. Interestingly, Custer constantly invited correspondents who followed him in the wars so that they could write favorable feedback to boost his ego. Luckily for Custer, his engineered reputation lasted well into the twentieth century serving to make him immortal and celebrated.
Budweiser is perhaps one of the beer brands, which has been able to weather economic storms to remain relevant and favorable beer and is regarded as the King of beers. Perhaps the reason for this success is the company’s ability to blend into the prevailing social, political and economic conditions to make sales. As established, Budweiser made debut in 1876 the same year that Custer and his men died and made use of this event to propel itself in the alcoholic market 4 . Over the years, Budweiser has continually adapted to the prevailing market conditions to remain competitive. Budweiser no longer relies on what is making headlines as it did in its initial stages to penetrate the market. On the contrary, Budweiser is keen on making a positive impact by finding ways of improving the society by its existence. In this regard, Budweiser is visible in the sporting world where it sponsors sporting events. Key among the sporting events, which is sponsored by Budweiser, is Super Bowl and the just concluded FIFA World Cup at Russia. According to Taylor, the advertising success comes through Budweiser invoking local “American culture, images in their advertising ” 5 . As at now, Budweiser relies on marketing agencies, which craft its advertising campaigns with BudLight, Anomaly, and VaynerMedia being among the agencies 6 . In essence, these agencies, which are highly established, pick up strong selling points to push Budweiser sales. Moreover, these agencies tend to make use of the prevailing political conditions to ensure that their client gets value for money as well as propel Budweiser to greater economic possibilities
Bibliography
Lamme, Margot O. “Temperance and Anheuser-Busch’s Tatler , 1919-1924.” Brewery History 2012, no. 147, (2012: 2-16.
Lester, Paul. M. Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media. California: Greenwood Publishing Group
Philbrick, Nathaniel. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Manhattan: Random House, 2014.
Schultz, E. J. “Marketer's Brief: Budweiser Brings on another Agency.” AdAge. Last modified November 22, 2017. Accessed September 3, 2018. http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/marketer-s-budweiser-brings-agency/311393/
Stiles, T. J. Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015.
Taylor, Charles R. “Some Interesting Findings about Super Bowl Advertising.” International Journal of Advertising 35, no.2 (2016): 167-170.
1 Nathaniel Philbrick, The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, [Manhattan: Random House, 2014], 127.
2 Paul. M. Lester, Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media, [California: Greenwood Publishing Group], 95
3 T. J. Stiles, Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America , [New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015], 27
4 Margot O. Lamme, “Temperance and Anheuser-Busch’s Tatler, 1919-1924,” Brewery History 2012, no. 147, (2012): 2-4.
5 Charles R. Taylor, “Some Interesting Findings about Super Bowl Advertising,” International Journal of Advertising 35, no.2 (2016), 168.
6 E. J. Schultz, “Marketer's Brief: Budweiser Brings on another Agency,” AdAge , Last modified November 22, 2017, Accessed September 3, 2018. http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/marketer-s-budweiser-brings-agency/311393/
