Alcoholic beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) is no stranger to introducing new products to capture changing habits in the sector. The company is rolling out a new product in a growth sector and celebrating with a new non-fungible token collection.
What Happened: Bud Light NEXT is the first-ever zero-carb beer from the well-known beer brand. It's a beer the company said was 10 years in the making and the result of a “brewing breakthrough.”
A new NFT collection called Bud Light N3XT Collection will offer 12,722 items taking color cues from Bud Light NEXT. This marks the first NFT collection from the Bud Light brand and follows several other NFT projects launched by the parent company.
“Our NFT project celebrates this new era and those who similarly are breaking barriers in technology and creativity,” Bud Light Senior Digital Director Corey Brown Sr. said.
The NFTs will drop on Feb. 6 and be sold for $399 each to those who are 21 years of age or older. The NFTs will have two levels of rarities (N3XT and Diamond), which will be revealed after mint. The NFTs can be purchased using a credit card. Users can also pay for the NFT with Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) or Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) using Coinbase Commerce, a service from Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ:COIN).
Owners of the NFT will have the opportunity to vote on Bud Light NEXT merchandise and have access to brand and partner events.
The Bud Light N3XT Collection is designed in partnership with VaynerNFT, the NFT company from VaynerX, founded by Gary Vaynerchuk.
“We are excited to join forces with Bud Light as they make their first foray into the NFT space,” VaynerNFT President Avery Akkineni said. “We’re thrilled to continue the momentum with the Bud Light community, unlocking massive opportunities for the brand to engage with its fans in a whole new way.”
Related Link: Budweiser Pushes Further Into NFTs With VaynerNFT: Here's How You Can Get The Newest NFTs
Why It’s Important: Bud Light NEXT has 80 calories and 0 carbs, putting it into several fast-growing categories among beer drinkers.
“Bud Light NEXT is a new type of beer brewed for today’s 21+ consumers who have long desired a beer that breaks the barriers of a traditional lager and offers the seasonability and stats of a seltzer,” the company said.
The beer is launching on Feb. 7, 2022, in time for Super Bowl LVI. Anheuser-Busch said recently that the brand would be featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
“As Bud Light enters 2022, we are pushing the beer category to new heights with the launch of Bud Light NEXT, our first-ever zero carb beer,” Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Andy Goeler said.
BUD Price Action: Budweiser shares are up 1.35% to $64.44 Thursday at publication.
Photo: Courtesy of Budweiser
