E-Malt.com News article: 4625

USA: Anheuser-Busch announced on April 7 it is launching a new Bacardi Silver flavor – Watermelon – a premium flavored malt beverage that has the highly refreshing, clean, juicy taste of fresh summer watermelon. Anheuser-Busch said: “Additionally, just in time to inspire those in search of creating the perfect warm-weather get-together, Bacardi Silver has developed delicious drink recipes made for Bacardi Silver Watermelon including Boysenberry Bling-Bling, Watermelon Sour and Melon Dollar Baby.”

“Adults who enjoy Flavored Malt Beverages (FMB’s) continue to look for what’s new and hip when making a beverage choice, which is why we developed Bacardi Silver Watermelon,” said Geri Hirsch, brand manager, High End Products, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Providing a new flavor like Bacardi Silver Watermelon, and combining it with delicious drink recipes, gives adults innovative, fun and refreshing beverage options.”

Watermelon is the latest flavor addition to the Bacardi Silver family that includes Bacardi Silver O3, Bacardi Silver RAZ, Bacardi Silver Low Carb Black Cherry, Bacardi Silver Low Carb Green Apple and the original Bacardi Silver. Bacardi Silver Watermelon’s aroma is like cutting into a ripe watermelon, with hints of both fresh juice and crisp rind. The slightly sweet flavor and crisp finish are sure to refresh.

Bacardi Silver Watermelon will be available in six-packs of 12-oz. bottles and a 24-oz. single serve bottle. The applied plastic label features the Bacardi Bat Device trademark logo centered above the Bacardi Silver trademark logo.

Additionally, a new advertising campaign created by David & Goliath, Los Angeles, will launch in tandem with the release of Bacardi Silver Watermelon. The new campaign, titled “Bacardi Silver Manual” will introduce subtle humor to place adult co-eds in awkward social situations. The “Bacardi Silver Manual” offers clever, tongue-in-cheek tips and guidelines to help them get out of the tricky situation they find themselves in. Television advertising will appear on prime time, sports, late night and female cable programming.

“The introduction of Bacardi Silver Watermelon is another example of how two dynamic companies work together to produce innovative products that continue to meet the needs of adult consumers who thirst for variety,” said Celio Romanach, vice president and managing director, Bacardi Beverage Company, a division of Bacardi U.S.A, Inc. “We’re proud to continue our relationship with Anheuser-Busch and we’re excited about the new addition of Watermelon to the Bacardi Silver family of products.”

Bacardi Silver Watermelon is 5 percent alcohol by volume and is bottled at Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville, N.Y. brewery. The brand’s suggested pricing will be on par with other flavors in the Bacardi Silver line. For more information on Bacardi Silver brands, visit www.bacardisilver.com. Images are available upon request.

Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. is the importer of the world’s No. 1 selling premium distilled spirit brand, Bacardi rum.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. is the leading American brewer, holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American owned and operated and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch is the oldest American-owned major brewer in the United States.

Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. also holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, as well as equity investments in China’s Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. and Compañía Cervecerías Unidas Argentina. In 2004, Anheuser-Busch purchased Harbin Brewery Group Ltd., the fourth-largest brewer in China. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers.



10 April, 2005