Inkjet & Digital Printing

HP Unlocks Mass Customization Capabilities to Produce 200,000 Unique Bud Light Cans

Thursday 17. September 2015 - HP have announced that Bud Light adopted HP digital print technology to produce 200,000 unique, limited-edition Festival cans available at 2015 Mad Decent Block Party music festival events, making Bud Light not only the first beer, but the first brand in the U.S. to use HP SmartStream Mosaic for mass customization.

In celebration of the music, culture and artistry the Mad Decent Block Party festival is known for, the U.S.’s best-selling and most popular beer brand sought to capture the energy of the summer music scene through this first-ever custom packaging campaign for the U.S. market. Leveraging an HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press and HP SmartStream Mosaic, 31 designs were transformed into more than 31 million possible graphics, ultimately creating 200,000 unique can designs, with no two cans exactly alike. These special edition Festival cans are currently available at Mad Decent Block Party events through September in cities across the U.S. and Canada.

“This project would not have been possible without HP digital print technology, which allowed us to experiment and create an original experience with America’s favorite beer,” explained Valerie Toothman, VP of Innovation, Anheuser-Busch. “Today’s consumer is seeking unique, customized experiences. Consumer reactions at this summer’s Mad Decent Block parties are proving that custom graphics are indeed an impactful and relevant way to elevate a consumer’s experience with the Bud Light brand.”

HP SmartStream Mosaic enables automatic creation of millions of designs based on core patterns, offering fast turnaround of highly customized campaigns where every copy is different. With a high degree of automation and tight integration with the converting process, this award-winning design software is helping the world’s leading brands deliver one-of-a-kind packaging campaigns.

“Customization on a global scale is the next frontier for brands,” said Doris Brown-McNally, worldwide brands business development manager, HP. “HP digital print offers the ability to quickly create and produce millions of unique designs, and Bud Light is the latest brand to leverage our mass versioning technology to craft a custom and shareable experience.”