Bud Light remains in the crosshairs as AB InBev makes Super Bowl plans

Dive Brief:

Anheuser-Busch today (Jan. 25) confirmed that it will air two and a half minutes of national advertising in Super Bowl LVIII, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The beer marketer will run ads for Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Bud Light.
Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the NFL, will be featured in a humorous 60-second spot that introduces a new character to the beer's "universe." AB InBev will also run a 60-second Michelob Ultra ad that features soccer star Lionel Messi, while Budweiser will run a 30-second spot centered on the brand's Clydesdales.
The rollout of AB InBev's Super Bowl plans comes as the company, which recently aid off workers in its U.S. sales division, continues to feel the effects of a boycott of Bud Light.

Dive Insight:

As usual, Anheuser-Busch brands will have a major footprint at the Super Bowl, even as the marketer is no longer the exclusive alcohol advertiser during the big game. The company is planning a multi-brand, multichannel campaign around the game, according to Kyle Norrington, chief commercial officer at Anheuser-Busch, who now oversees the company's marketing.

“The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest moment, and our goal is to once again captivate our audience when the world is watching,” the executive said in a press release. “We’re showing up big time in this moment that matters for our beer drinkers and football fans across the country through unmatched creative storytelling, seamless trade integrations, record-breaking consumer sweeps, robust media plans, and on-the-ground activations.”

Flagship brand Budweiser will bring back its iconic Clydesdale horses for a 30-second spot that will nod to past Super Bowl spots and other nostalgic elements, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The spot was directed by Academy Award-nominated American filmmaker and Emmy Award-winning commercial director, Henry Alex Rubin, and a teaser is soundtracked by The Band classic "The Weight."

Meanwhile, Michelob Ultra will continue to celebrate “active living” in a spot featuring soccer star Messi, who features in two beach-bound teasers, ordering the brew in one and playing soccer with a dog in the other.

The brand to watch, of course, will be Bud Light, which continues to struggle in the wake of a bungled marketing tie-up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. A 60-second spot will expand the brand's “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” marketing platform and a short clip teases a new character in the "Bud Light universe."

While CEO Michel Doukeris maintained on the company’s most recent earnings call that it was “moving in the right direction," AB InBev is still looking to boost Bud Light, as it has with major marketing efforts and a return to the brand's focus on sports and music.

In the wake of the Bud Light controversy, U.S. CMO Benoit Garbe resigned at the end of the year, with Norrington now overseeing brand plans and portfolio strategy, insights, analytics and investments. The company this month also laid off an unspecified number of workers in its U.S. sales division, per a Bloomberg report.