Natty Light’s New Campaign Is Sending Drinkers On Flights To Nowhere

2020 is an unprecedented year for many reasons, and with a globe of imbibers switching up their drinking and spending habits over the pandemic, brands are being pushed to get creative with campaigns.

Anheuser-Busch-owned beer brand Natural Light (that’s Natty Light to most) is getting particularly inventive with their marketing efforts. As part of a new campaign, the brand is promising to send drinkers on a flight to absolutely nowhere.

Dubbed the “Natural Flight,” lucky fans will take off and fly about in a “Nattified” aircraft—a plane decked out with TVs, gaming systems, snacks, and of course, Natty Light beer. 

Since global travel is a no-go, the plane will land right back where they started at their local airport.

“Over the last several months, our fans have had to deal with a lot of disruption, cancellations and closures,” says Daniel Blake, the vice president of U.S. value brands at Anheuser-Busch. “Whether that be college graduation, sporting events, summer internships, concerts or on-campus experiences. So, when we saw some airlines start to charter flights to nowhere for people eager for an adventure, we knew we had to bring this experience to our fans in a “Nattified” way.”

To enter, drinkers simply have to explain to their social following what they would name their private jet and why. Contest opens October 20th.

“For the budget conscious, 21+ college student or recent grad, it’s well out of their price range to hop on a private jet for a few hours. We decided to step in and book this excursion for one lucky fan and three of their friends. Another opportunity for us to help out our fans, who now more than ever, deserve this level of excitement back in their lives,” describes Blake.

With campus activations limited and younger drinkers spread out between their childhood homes and socially-distanced dorms, brands have to rethink traditional campaigns.

Over the pandemic period, Natty Light has been particularly successful at pivoting to continue to woo their target consumers, primarily the budget-conscious student and young adult.

“Over these last several months, it’s really been about listening to our fans, seeing these unexpected challenges come into their lives, and then quickly reacting with what Natural Light can do to not only support them, but do it in a fun way,” describes Blake. 

Earlier this year, Natty Light gave away $1 million to help pay off student loan debts—a total of 40 individuals received $25,000 each. The brand has also started hosting virtual commencements and online events catered to the college-aged drinker.

“When on-campus graduations were cancelled, Natural Light created a worldwide virtual commencement, featuring speakers and musical performances from Adam DeVine, Ludacris, Stephen A. Smith, Mark Cuban and Machine Gun Kelly–people that our fans actually wanted to hear from,” explains Blake.

Earlier this summer, Natural Light made headlines when they revamped their summer internship program, offering interns the opportunity to work remotely with Natty Lite’s brewing team to conceptualize new flavors.

“When many companies were cancelling their summer internships, it became more stressful than ever for our fans to try and land job experience for their resumes. So, Natty Light forged ahead and not only turned their paid summer internship into a safe, work-from-home situation, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our intern to help create Natty’s newest flavor innovation.”

The internship has been a coveted role for years: the gig offers drinkers (21+) the chance to serve as part brand ambassador, part product researcher, part content creator, and of course, product tester.

The intern may even be responsible for crafting the next Naturdays, the brand’s strawberry lemonade beer that charmed consumers and swept beer awards last year.