No one ever personified the Anheuser-Busch corporate mantra, "making friends is our business," quite like Mike Roarty.
During his tenure as vice president of marketing from 1977 to 1990, Roarty helped Anheuser-Busch establish a valuable relationship with beer drinkers of America. In this highly competitive industry, under Roarty’s leadership, market share went from 22 percent to 44 percent and sales more than doubled, from 35 million to 86 million barrels.
Roarty inspired and shaped famous advertising campaigns such as, "Weekends were made for Michelob," "This Bud’s for you," "Head for the mountains of Busch," and "Gimme a Light" for Bud Light. Roarty was not only a master of product positioning, he was also a great champion and astute judge of creativity.
A pioneer of sports marketing, Roarty has received dozens of kudos, including being named Sportsman of the Decade. From racecar sponsorship to Bud Bowl, from stadium signage to sportscasters as spokesmen, Anheuser-Busch’s brands benefited mightily from Mike Roarty’s foresight in this arena.
In an industry beleaguered by the specter of government regulation, Roarty took a proactive approach to problems like drunk driving. Investing media dollars in consumer awareness programs like "Know when to say when," Anheuser-Busch became a model for corporations wishing to become associated with the solution instead of the problem.