Article in Companies, Mobile, Social Networking, Tech Industry, Fueled News categories.

Wendr Teams Up with Budweiser on “Buds by Budweiser” App

When it comes to new mobile apps, social and local reign — so it makes sense that Budweiser, the “King of Beers,” chose Wendr’s “Buds…

When it comes to new mobile apps, social and local reign — so it makes sense that Budweiser, the “King of Beers,” chose Wendr’s “Buds by Budweiser” app for a partnership in Ad Age’s second Brand Hack.
Wendr, a start-up that lets friends connect and make in-app plans for the evening, was well positioned to make the winning pitch to A-B InBev, Bud’s parent company. They leverage hyperlocal connectivity with a mobile platform, bringing responses to all of those “Hey, what are you up to tonight?” texts together into — what else? — an app.

The mobile app company’s pitch to Budweiser beat out five other app ideas, due in large part to Wendr’s nightlife-heavy angle. A-B InBev’s global director of strategic innovation–technology, Winston Wang, told Ad Age that “night out” was a vibe that the beer giant especially wanted to promote.

The Buds by Budweiser app is built around social planning: users can see who’s interested in hanging out that night, find nearby bars where they can grab a Bud, and then check in on Foursquare to spread the word. They’d then get discounts — or a free beer! — for using the app.

Other apps pitched included real-time functions and geolocation, but Wendr’s was the only app to combine all that with a user’s social network, freebies, and a pun. Budweiser won’t necessarily be building the app as it was pitched, but they’ve chosen Wendr for the wide social-local experience their pitch showed — for a partnership of up to $25,000.

We’ll be excited to see how the Wendr–Bud partnership takes shape. In the meantime, you can download Wendr’s app and wend your way through your Friday night. (Yes, we like puns, too.)

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