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Super Bowl beer ads seem to always attract their share of post-game analysis. And here’s some takeaways from what Anheuser-Busch chose to air on Super Bowl Sunday
Big Beer is Looking to Diversify
It’s no secret big beer mass producers are struggling to stem multi-year sales declines.
And one of the ways that Anheuser-Busch is addressing the flood of younger consumers migrating away from beer to other drinks options is by broadening its portfolio to include non-beer alternatives like the Hard Seltzers…a segment that’s particularly attractive to the Super Bowl growing female viewership.
On Super Bowl Sunday Anheuser-Busch introduced a spot dedicated to its newest product line, the recently rebranded BON & VIV Spiked Seltzer, a 4.5% ABV flavored malt beverage with natural fruit and botanical flavors, zero grams of sugar and only 90 calories.
According to Adweek this commercial marks the company’s “largest effort to date to expand beyond the traditional beer roster” and Anheuser-Busch’s actions only serve to confirm a recent Nielsen finding that women are changing the beer landscape with buzzy alternatives.
Anheuser-Busch Furthers Its Commitment to Bud Light by Taking Direct Aim at Its Biggest Competitors
Total beer shipments declined 1.3% in 2017, led by sharp drops among flagship products including Budweiser (-6.8%), Coors Light (-4.1%), Miller Lite (-2.8%) and the most popular U.S. brand, Bud Light (-5.7%)…And if Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl LIII spots tell us anything…it’s that it is unwilling to cede any ground to its light beer competitors.
One of Bud Light’s most talked about spots returned to last year’s popular “Dilly, Dilly” medieval kingdom to accuse both Miller Lite and Coors Light of using corn syrup in their beers, (not cool).
And you can judge the ad’s effectiveness by a quick rebuttal it drew from MillerCoors as well as from the National Corn Growers Association.
Craft Beer No Longer seen As the Threat it Once Was
With craft beer’s years of torrid double-digit growth having finally slowed 5% in 2017, it’s clear that its “threat level” has lessened in the eyes Anheuser-Busch…
Not only have they stopped acquiring craft beer properties in the states…They’ve stopped producing commercials making fun of craft beer consumers like the ones that created such a stir back in 2016.
Hanging with the “Cool Kids” Will Make You Look Cooler
Two of Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl Sunday commercials took the opportunity to tap into an uber-popular environmental issues, Latin superstars, TV and film legends and even a hit HBO show to upgrade its act…
Bud Light followed up its humorous “Dilly, Dilly” corn syrup commercial with another medieval spot that did more to promote the final season of HBO’s hugely successful juggernaut Game of Thrones than it did its own brand.
Michelob Ultra introduced Latin Superstar Muluma and Zoe Kravitz went full-on ASMR.
Stella Artois brought back “The Dude. Budweiser showcased the company’s long-term commitment to renewable electricity along with Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and the return of the iconic Clydesdale horses.
All these Anheuser-Busch commercials furthered the ageless advertising adage “that it never hurts to be seen in good company.”
(All image credits: Anheuser-Busch)
