ORCHARD PARK, NY – The Buffalo Bills and Anheuser-Busch, Inc. announced a renewed partnership with the company's flagship Budweiser and Bud Light brands to remain the Official Beer of the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills and Anheuser-Busch will partner on a number of interactive programs to enhance the overall experience for Bills fans throughout the football season.
Budweiser will kick off the season by offering a promotional sweepstakes where two adult fans can win the opportunity to watch the Monday, August 13th night practice with a distinguished Bills alumni member at Verizon Wireless Training Camp at St. John Fisher College in Rochester. Fans 21 and over can visit select Wilson Farms locations in Western New York to enter the sweepstakes.
Anheuser-Busch will sponsor the Monday, August 20th Verizon Wireless Training Camp night practice and tickets will be distributed exclusively through the following Rochester-area retailers: Wilson Farms, Nice and Easy's and Hess locations. Log-on to wilsonfarms.com for store locations.
"Anheuser-Busch has been a tremendous supporter of the Buffalo Bills for a number of years," said Pete Guelli, Buffalo Bills Vice President of Business Development. "The structure of this agreement will allow us to activate creative marketing initiatives that should benefit the Bills, Anheuser-Busch and most importantly Bills fans."
"Anheuser-Busch is honored to be a loyal, long-time partner of the Buffalo Bills, their great fans and their valuable community initiatives as they enter an exciting new era," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "We're proud to continue our commitment to the success of the Bills organization for many years to come."
In accordance to team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Through various promotional initiatives in conjunction with area retailers, the Bills and Budweiser will give adult fans once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to watch a Bills game from a Ralph Wilson Stadium luxury suite, host a private pre-game party in the Bud Light Tailgate area or watch pregame warm-ups on the stadium sidelines.
At each Bills home game in 2007, Bud Light will host free, pep rally-style tailgate parties for adult consumers 21 and over. Parties will include live band performances, live radio and/or television pre-game remotes, special guest appearances by former players, radio personalities and appearances from the Budweiser Clydesdales. In addition, Bud Light will continue to host the team's official Draft Day Party at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Budweiser will enhance its signage presence in Ralph Wilson Stadium with a 218-foot tri-vision sign – one of the largest in-stadium signs in the country. The world's two best-selling beers will also have a presence on the stadium's new LED ribbonboards that will be unveiled at the beginning of the 2007 season, and will distribute 50,000 pocket schedules through area retailers.
Anheuser-Busch has been a sponsor of the Bills since 1999. Budweiser and Bud Light are an official beer of 28 NFL teams and have made a long-term commitment to the sport's national broadcasts. Budweiser and Bud Light will continue to enjoy a significant presence on NFL broadcasts on CBS, NBC, ESPN and FOX during the 2007-2008 season, and, most notably, will maintain its exclusive advertising presence on Super Bowl broadcasts through 2012. For its 28 sponsored teams, Anheuser-Busch also produced 64 combinations of cartons carrying NFL team-specific designs on 11 million cases of Budweiser and Bud Light.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world's largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
