Busch Brewing

At the end of Busch’s campaign, the client reached a potential global audience of 755 million people, resulting in approximately 6 million estimated views on 20 unique, published articles.

Project Overview

Billy Busch, heir to the iconic Anheuser-Busch empire, approached Otter PR ready to share an insider’s view of one of America’s most legendary dynasties. 

Busch’s new book, “Family Reins: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty,” chronicles the fascinating journey of the Busch family: their rise to build a brand that epitomizes the American Dream, their unmatched successes, and the personal and professional struggles that came with living life at the intersection of family and business.

Client Goals

Busch approached Otter looking to grow media exposure for his memoir, “Family Reins”, and establish a solid media presence for himself and his family as business owners, industry experts, and family-oriented thought leaders. By leveraging the release of his memoir, Busch sought to reinvigorate exposure for his family’s name.

The Strategy

To kick off our strategy for this campaign, our team pitched journalists to review “Family Reins” and interview Busch on trending news topics like business and tariffs, and to publish features on Busch himself. While Busch’s family name has always been easily recognizable in the media, we wanted to pinpoint trending and relevant topics that he and his other family members could comment on to engage their existing audience while creating new connections with consumers by:

• Press Release Campaigns: Utilizing press releases to spotlight “Family Reins” and generate consistent media visibility.
• Casting a Wide Net: Pitching both mid- and top-tier outlets to maximize exposure, while targeting niche publications with tailored story angles.
• Niche Targeting: Developing specific topic-driven pitches for specialized media, enhancing relevance and pickup rates.
• Thought Leadership Positioning: Leveraging Busch’s deep industry knowledge and family legacy in the American beer industry to establish authority and credibility.
• Timely Commentary: Offering perspectives on Super Bowl commercials, politics, and the economy to broaden media appeal and relevance.
• Top-Tier Placement Tactics: Focusing on business and economic angles proved most effective for securing high-level media coverage for Busch.

Success

Busch’s comprehensive media campaign was highly successful in meeting its initial goals and key media metrics, particularly in terms of the total potential global audience and the number of views it generated for his (and his family’s) name. Additionally, his ability to speak on current events proved extremely helpful to his campaign, enabling him to comment on the current economy, his family, and his life story to promote “Family Reins.”

Notably, Busch has been featured in top-tier publications, including Yahoo! Lifestyle, MSN, Business Insider, NTD TV, Sporting News, and Forbes, among others. Our team also helped him secure a TV hit with the Atlanta Business Journal, which featured his memoir and family’s businesses.