AB InBev, the world's largest brewer, has rolled out a global campaign called Choose Moderation, Choose Beer, created by Anomaly and spanning its biggest labels, including Corona, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois. The message positions no and low alcohol beer as part of a balanced lifestyle and everyday social occasions, rather than as a niche or a compromise. It is a striking thing to watch a company whose business was built on selling volume put real marketing weight behind drinking thoughtfully.
The move follows the logic of the numbers. Traditional beer volumes are declining, no and low is one of the few growth areas, and a brewer that size would rather lead the shift than be left by it. Framing moderation as a positive choice, and attaching its flagship brands to it, is how an incumbent tries to own a change it cannot stop.
The Cr(af)ted Take
That a brewer this large is advertising moderation at all is the real headline, and it is genuinely good news: it normalizes drinking less for a mainstream audience no independent alcohol-free brand could ever reach. When Budweiser tells its own customers that moderation is part of a good life, the stigma around ordering the lighter option quietly erodes for everyone.
But notice the second half of the slogan. Choose Moderation, Choose Beer keeps the choice inside the brewer's own fridge, and the honest version of moderation is wider than that. Sometimes the balanced choice is a half-pint of lager, and sometimes it is a properly made alcohol-free drink with no beer in it at all. We welcome the biggest player in the category making our argument for us. We would just add the part the campaign leaves out: moderation is not only about which beer you choose, but whether the drink needs alcohol in it to be worth choosing.
Original reporting: Campaign →