A digital brew that is not so refreshing

Like most, I was curious about the hype surrounding Budweiser’s new bud.tv. Despite mixed reviews (check out this AdAge article), I’ve been looking forward to the launch since last year when I first heard about it. Like the saying goes “curiosity killed the cat.” Well, in this case bud.tv killed the curiosity.

We’re all used to alcohol companies’ websites requiring users to log in with their DOB, but bud.tv goes to the extreme. Discussions about the political and PR ramifications of allowing underage users to access the site aside, bud.tv’s registration process is absurd from this user’s POV. Not only do you have to enter your DOB (no problem with that), but you are also required to create a username, log-in, email, phone number and zip code (all that is missing is an agreement stating I will name my first-born son Augustine). All this to enter the site – and I don’t have the slightest clue what I get once I make it past this “bouncer.” At this point, bud.tv better be the digital equivalent of Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel to require this much effort and information.

Fine. I conquer my frustration and enter all the info. Except it does not work. I delete everything and enter it again. Apparently, the legal drinking age in

St. Louis

is significantly higher than the rest of the

US

because my DOB is not valid…rather their system “cannot verify my age.” I’m prompted to call a hotline to solve the issue or asked to visit one of their many other sites (with less stringent entrance requirements, no less). End game. I am too frustrated to continue on, and I have lost all interest in finding out what bud.tv is all about and have closed the window with an emphatic click of my mouse.

All and all, I leave this experience frustrated, and that is a no-no – as we all know – when building and solidifying relationships with consumers. I understand there are legal issues surrounding this type of content, but there needs to be a middle ground. If Bud is going to require so much information and effort on behalf of users to access the site, they can at least have technology that compliments the structure, not increases my frustration.

Maybe we, as consumers, need to create a “Man Law” about the registration process for alcoholic beverage companies’ websites. I’m not sure what the right answer is, but I definitely know what the right answer isn’t. Thoughts?

Comments

[Jeff Flemings]

More controversy - according to this AdWeek article (reg. req'd) states are opposing the existing (stringent?) registration process as too permissive. This doesn't bode well...........

http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003547293

[Jeff Flemings]

I think the bigger problem is once you get to the content (and good luck with that, by the way) you can't share it with the outside world, no YouTube, etc. Problem if you're hoping your super duper content will catch on like wildfire.

This Advertising Age article (http://adage.com/article?article_id=114993) provides a good critique of both problems.

[John Young]

I totally hear ya about the technology used being onerous. However, as a developer, I sympathize with the difficulty of what Bud's trying to do: actually and PROVABLY verify identity, instead of just putting up some "enter your birthdate" crap designed to fulfill the letter of the COPPA law. They're doing this with Aristotle:
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/f-917727
...who uses government ID verification behind the scenes, not credit-monitoring data. Other industries that need to do this are the tobacco industry and casinos.

So I completely get what you're saying, but what you're looking at is fairly new, and can only get better. Personally, I'm hoping that openID will catch on, which has the potential of solving exactly the problem you're describing: sharing adult stuff, easily, with only other adults. It's hard to do transparently, though.