E-Malt.com News article: USA: Anheuser-Bush looks to JibJab to boost beer sales

Anheuser-Busch posted on May 20 that the brothers who created the wildly popular “This Land” video that swept the Internet during last fall’s presidential election – Gregg and Evan Spiridellis – have joined with Budweiser to develop online entertainment for the world’s best-selling premium beer.

JibJab Media, founded in 1999 by the Spiridellis brothers in their garage in Brooklyn, N.Y., will utilize cutting edge technology and viral entertainment for Budweiser as the “King of Beers” continues to lead the brewing industry in reaching Internet-savvy adult consumers.

JibJab has brought back Budweiser’s famous lizards Frank and Louie – who have been resting in the Budweiser swamp – to create a 30-second teaser video, titled “Roll Out the Barrel,” to announce the partnership. This video will debut on budweiser.com and JibJab.com today.

“Gregg and Evan Spiridellis have created some of the funniest and most memorable videos to appear on the Internet through JibJab, and working with them will allow us to continue reaching our adult beer drinkers with clever messages,” said Bob Lachky, vice president of Brand Management, and director, Global Brand Creative, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We’re a company that likes to have fun, and that’s purely the goal as we bring the humor and satire of JibJab to our team.”

JibJab will work with Budweiser on a series of projects in 2005, developing videos that could air on television and the Internet. The first collaboration is planned for this summer.

“When it comes to advertising and comedy, Budweiser is King,” said Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder of JibJab media. “They’ve also been a leading innovator in every new medium, from print to television, for the past four generations. We’re thrilled to be working with them to help define the future of marketing and entertainment in digital channels.”

Since founding JibJab in 1999, the Spiridellis brothers have worked with several major marketers including Sony, Kraft, USA Networks and the History Channel, and have been accepted into film festivals around the world, including Sundance 2004. In 2004, Gregg’s lyrics and Evan’s art helped spark an international sensation with the release of JibJab’s election parody, “This Land.” The two minute short and its follow up, “Good to be in DC!” were seen more than 80 million times online and on every continent, including Antarctica. NASA even contacted the brothers for permission to send a copy of the animation to the International Space Station. JibJab is based in Santa Monica, Calif.

Popular Budweiser lizards Frank and Louie, first introduced in 1998, return to the small screen in the first animated short, performing a modified rendition of “Roll Out The Barrel.”

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in FORTUNE magazine’s 2005 “ America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on FORTUNE’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. 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.

22 May, 2005