NFL Beer Sponsor A-B InBev's 5 Spot, 4 Brand In-Game $17m Super Bowl Commercials

The league’s beer partner Anheuser-Busch InBev is running a total of five in-game Super Bowl ads for four brands: that’s three-and-a-half minutes of air time costing around $17.5m – including the fabled A1 slot (the first ad that airs during the first ad break).

The brewing giant is running a 60-second spot for the official beer of the NFL Bud Light, two commercials (one 60-second and one 30-second) for Budweiser, plus 30-second spots for its Ultra (its first since 2000) and Shock Top (its first ever) brands.

A-B InBev, which renewed its sponsorship late last year through to the 2022 Super Bowl at a cost of $1.4bn, negotiates its exclusive Super Bowl beer advertising rights separately.

In mid January Bud Light’s core Big Game PR push kicked off when it revealed comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen (and comedian Michael Peña) would front its politically-themed, comic Super Bowl campaign called ‘Bud Light Party’ that features the tagline ‘Raise One to Right Now’.

Late January saw the roll out of a set of quirky online teasers like ‘The Bud Light Party Is Coming’,

and ‘Coming Soon’,

and

Ain't no party like the #BudLightParty https://t.co/WpKqnB3Iqp

— Bud Light (@budlight) February 4, 2016

before the 3 February launch of the 30-second Bud Light Super Bowl spot itself.

In fact, this isn’t just a Super Bowl commercial, but a campaign that will run through most of this Presidential Election year.

‘We’ve done a lot of culturally relevant campaigns, but the election to my knowledge is not something we’ve ever leveraged,” said Bud Light VP Alexander Lambrecht.

‘We are excited about the Bud Light Party as a platform. [But] We’re beer, we are supposed to be fun.’

The TVC is supported by executions across traditional and digital channels – including print ads, posters and buttons with taglines like ‘The new candidate’ and ‘I back the Bud Light Party’.

The campaign also aims to help familiarise consumers with Bud Light’s new packaging which it debuted at the end of 2015 and will appear on retail shelves in early 2016.

The campaign is the debut Bud Light work from new agency Wieden & Kennedy New York and is a marked difference from last year’s human Pac-Man work (see case study).

The two Budweiser spots are markedly different – with very different objectives: one is a responsible drinking initiative and the other a big, brash, proud brand ad.

The longer of the two Budweiser commercials, #GiveADamn, is a one-minute an anti-drunk driving message fronted by Helen Mirren who calls on drivers to protect their own lives and those of others.

It was posted on the brand’s digital and social platforms on 2 February – 6 days before the Big Game.

The spot aims to start a movement and encourages drivers to Stand With Bud (www.standwithbud.com) and, as with most brand-led movements, is receiving copious amounts of pre-event social amplification.

We interrupt your feed for an important message from a notoriously frank & uncensored British lady #GiveADamn #SB50 https://t.co/tWvGQXl3Sy

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) February 2, 2016

Responsibility is a beautiful thing, @SBRogue. We're glad you stand with us and #GiveADamn

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) February 4, 2016

You tweet with #GiveADamn. We spend $1 towards Safe Ride programs. RT this. Everyone wins. #SB50 pic.twitter.com/Nft4CVSHry

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) February 3, 2016

The shorter spot, created by agency Anomaly, features the brand’s famous big Clydesdales (who have appeared in the last 26 Super Bowl ads) and sees a brash Bud celebrate its bigness and is called ‘Not Backing Down’.

Unlike last year’s shot at craft beers, this year Budweiser’s message is a dig at imported rivals and continues the ‘Brewed the Hard Way’ concept from last year’s game.

Launched a day later on 5 February, it is a full-on proud to be American ad that sees the #NotBackingDown hashtag running across TV and digital/social channels.

We were here before there was a #SuperBowl. Still here. Standing strong. #NotBackingDown https://t.co/hxEEuNNQWR

— Budweiser (@Budweiser) February 5, 2016

The commercial features thundering hooves and snorting nostrils in close up – but none of the puppies who have appeared with the horses for the last two years (see case study).

‘We are not a one-trick pony. ‘You don’t want to jump the shark and keep trotting out the same stuff every year,’ says Budweiser USA VP Brian Perkins.

‘This new approach that we kicked off with ‘Brewed the Hard Way’ has a much higher correlation to selling beer than anything we’ve tried in the last few years, which is why we are going all-in on that approach. The campaign has delivered the best results on the brand we’ve seen in 14 years. So we now have a high level of confidence about this new tone of voice.’

‘We don’t accept that big must be inferior, which I think is and has been a prevailing discourse in a lot of categories, not just beer,’ adds Perkins. ‘We are big because we are widely enjoyed. We should be proud of that.

Also rolled out digitally on 4 February was A-B InBev’s Michelob Ultra Super Bowl spot ‘Breathe: Go The Extra Mile’.

Push yourself further. We'll be here when you catch your breath. #SB50 #MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/xoxeihLNDi

— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) February 4, 2016

Introducing a slightly tougher edged creative tone, the fast-growing Michelob Ultra low-carb, lifestyle driven beer brand has been given the much coveted ‘first ad slot’ in Super Bowl 50 (a sure sign of its potential for further growth).

More like a disruptive, gritty sportswear brand ad than a beer commercial, it sees driven men and women lift weights and practice yoga: each person lets out a loud breath.

The beer itself doesn’t appear until 22 seconds in, before the tagline ‘Brewed for those who go the extra mile’.

Which replaces the previous ‘Superior Light Beer’ tag.

The creative agency is FCB Chicago (who scooped the account in 2015) and it is directed by ‘Training Day’s’ Antoine Fuqua.

‘We know that Michelob Ultra drinkers exercise regularly and still make time to have a social life,’ explains Ultra VP Edison Yu.

‘Doing this isn’t easy, especially with so many other demands, so we made ‘Breathe’ to celebrate those who put in this extra effort and choose a beer that they can enjoy without sabotaging their hard work.’

Ultra is growing fast and last year sales were up 20+%.

Making its Super Bowl debut, A-B InBev’s final spot is for its Belgian-style wheat ale Shock Top.

The ad, created by agency Anomaly Toronto, features TJ Miller and also has an online extended version,

as well as plenty of social support.

@RealPeterson21What are you going on game day? Drinking a #ShockTop, right? pic.twitter.com/gDatlpoiuF

— Shock Top (@ShockTop) February 5, 2016

Comment

So in this single parent brand sponsorship deal activating through several individual brand ad campaigns, which A-B InBev beer’s work is fairing best thus far?

Two days before the Big Game the scores stood as follows:

> Bud Light Party 2,319,334

> Budweiser #GiveADamn 2,205,781

> Shock Top 2,342,434

> Michelob Ultra 75,317

> Budweiser #NotBackingDown 184

AB InBev has been a Super Bowl advertiser since 1975 and has been the exclusive alcoholic-beverage partner for 28 consecutive years.

Parent A-B InBev’s Bud Light has been the official beer of the NFL since 2011 and towards the end of last year it renewed its sponsorship through the 2022 Super Bowl at a cost of $1.4bn

Up from the $1.2bn it spent when it signed a deal in 2011 (lasting to 2017) to replace Coors Light as the league’s official lager.

While rival beer brands are allowed to advertise in and around the league (eg in ad breaks during game broadcasts), Bud Light alone can use the NFL shield in its ads, carry all 32 NFL team logos on its cans and other assets both in and out of market (see case study) and can use game stats and highlight footage in its creative and on its website and social media channels.

This latter addition to its rights package is a major boost as US NFL fans are heavy users of mobile football and fantasy football video content.

The new deal still prevents Bud Light from showing ‘individually identifiable players’.

This enhanced partnership is part of the brewer’s plan to reverse sales declines.

Whilst Bud Light has been the USA top selling beer since 2008, volumes have since fallen 10% (largely due to the rise of independent craft beers and increased competition from spirits and wine).

Nevertheless, Bud Light by far remains the most popular beer in the USA.

‘We are trying to help them sell beer and they way they can do that is to leverage the NFL to the most avid fans in sports,’ explained NFL senior sponsorship VP Renie Anderson.

‘The new and significant assets Bud Light is receiving through this partnership will connect the brand in radically new ways with the sport, its teams and, most importantly, the fans, to drive our business for years to come,’ said the brewer’s consumer connections Lucas Herscovici at the deal announcement.

Links

Bud Light Website:

http://www.budlight.com/

Bud Light Twitter:

https://twitter.com/budlight

Budweiser YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/budweiser

Budweiser Website:

http://www.budweiser.com/

Michelob Ultra Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Budweiser

Michelob Ultra Facepook: