BudNet: Making Customer Information the Lifeblood of the Organization

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In 1997, Anheuser started using BudNet system to collect the consumer data. The result was extensive and finely-tuned consumer and market data network.

Works hand-in-hand with distributors both wholesalers and store retailers; e.g. 7-eleven, Buy N Save, liquor marts and restaurants to collect useful information of consumer.

Distributors compile information and transmit it daily to Anheuser corporate headquarters.

• Sales reps. Collect new orders and rack competitors’ marketing efforts on PDAs and laptops.

• Data from BudNet can be reveals trends by city, social class, holiday activities, etc.

• Since 1876, Market Share: 50%

• Annual Revenue: $16 billion USD

• Bought in 2008 by InBev for US$52 billion.

BudNet is widely considered to be the most advanced, thorough consumer gather system in the marketing industry.

A system that uses aspects from technology, accounting, and inventory in order to create the most accurate MIS possible

A marketing system that accurately pinpoints who is buying their products, and from where. Then, the marketing becomes persuasive; thus increasing sales.

The MIS network that has increased sales and allowing Anheuser-Bush to be the market-leader in their industry

Research Objectives

Data Sources

Data Types

Variables Data Collection Methods

Sources

Primary data

Numbers of sales (and also providing sales per location); consumers tendency; competitor’s product, prices, and display.

Survey by working hand-in-hand with distributors to collected store-level data.

Distributors that directly gathering store-level data.

Secondary data

Consumers tendency (Nielsen-style); demographical data

Gathering additional data from another sources .

Information Resources, Inc.; U.S. Census.

Research ApproachesResearch Method Technical Implementation

Observation Direct observation to the stores to gathering information not only about own brands but also about the competitor.

Survey Research Monthly surveys to see what & why beer drinkers buy.

Behavioral Data Analysis

Forecasting the trends by using another data sources (secondary data), and crossing it with store-level data to reveal more specific picture of the market.

Analyzing the information in order to:

The information gathered and analyzed was sent directly to BUDNET data network, which provides information about the market preferences, inventory, packaging types used by competitors, new products, the brand space in the shelves, discounts, promotions, etc.

In conjunction with U.S. census and other sources of additional data was used by managers to develop marketing campaigns with a local precision never seen before (city, neighborhood, holidays, and even store)

• Anheuser through the utilization of budnet was able to identify the specific needs of their customers, and most important moves made by its competitors.

• This management tool gave to Anheuser a big advantage in the beer market, because with the available data the company could be constantly changing its marketing strategy, design new products directed at each segment of its market and anticipate the movements of their competitors.

Marketing research is of the important tasks to conduct decision making and planning.

By market research, companies can have a picture of market situation in current and in the future time.

By understanding market situation, the company could decide which is the strongest strategy that would encourage its company’s objectives.

The market information plays a crucial role in any organization for the development and application of their marketing strategies.

Like we can see on the budNet example, the market information system must be focused on two points: The first is referred to obtain valuable

information for the company and the second about protecting the valuable

company’s information from its competitors

Kotler, et al. (2006), Marketing Management, Pearson, 12th Edition

Ferrell, et al. (2008), Marketing Strategy, Thomson, 4th Edition