Bud rides World Cup wave

Anheuser-Busch is backing its bid for World Cup sales success with a new 30-second TV ad for Budweiser.

The advert, entitled "Wave", launches this week on prime-time national, terrestrial and satellite TV and targets 18 to 34-year-old men.

It starts with an aerial shot of a packed football stadium and focuses on the crowd performing their own version of a Mexican wave. The crowd holds up a series of coloured cards in succession to show a bottle of Bud being poured into a glass. When the group reverses the wave the beer disappears from the glass as the players on the pitch watch in awe.

The ad ends with the tagline, "Budweiser - Official Beer of the 2006 FIFA World Cup".

Oliver West, consumer marketing controller, said: "Bud-​

weiser is proud to be the official beer sponsor of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and we believe beer drinkers will love the fun way we are bringing the official beer into the game with this new ad.

"'Wave' adds to the anticipation for the greatest show on earth and highlights that there is nothing better than watching the game, having a Bud."

In February, Budweiser launched its biggest ever promotion giving consumers the chance to win VIP tickets to the World Cup.

It is giving away two sets of tickets every 48 hours until May, as part of the "Passport to Germany" promotion.

To be in with a chance of winning, consumers need to send in a picture of themselves with a bottle of Bud.