Dive Brief:
- Anheuser-Busch has reportedly purchased five and a half minutes of airtime for the upcoming Super Bowl, likely making it the biggest advertiser during the event, according to USA Today.
- The AB InBev brands slated to have spots during the big game include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, and for the first time during the Super Bowl, Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold and Bon + Viv Spiked Seltzer.
- The Super Bowl ad buy includes four 45-second ads, three 30-second ads and one 60-second ad. Details about the creative weren't released, but the ads will reportedly focus on the products' quality, "premiumization" and innovation.
Dive Insight:
Anheuser-Busch has been a longtime Super Bowl advertiser, but this year's ad buy is set to be its biggest yet. Super Bowl spots are typically cost around $5 million per 30 seconds, but AB InBev declined to say exactly how much it's investing into this year's game. With such a large estimated investment, the company is clearly aiming to engage with sports fans and other consumers around one of the year's biggest TV events.
The brewer is using its Super Bowl spots to highlight its expansive beverage portfolio to target different kinds of drinkers. AB InBev is focusing its marketing strategy around the quality of its Bud and Bud Light brands and touting premiumization of Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois, "because consumers are trading up in beer," U.S. CMO Marcel Marcondes told USA Today. The beer brand is likely banking on its hefty ad buys to boost brand awareness and drives sales, as beer sales have fallen over the past few years, especially with younger drinkers.
Last year, a Bud Light Super Bowl spot was one of the most-talked-about of the event. The brand unveiled the final installment in its viral Dilly Dilly Trilogy and released a Snapchat game and two animated filters. The campaign also included geotargeted filters with specific ones for the game's winning and losing cities.
Super Bowl advertisers often see sustained benefits in the months after the big game, according to a study by Stanford University and Humboldt University. For example, Budweiser saw its sales volume increase 3.9% and revenue jump 4.7% in the weeks following the game when it also advertised during other sports events like March Madness.
CBS announced this week that it's expecting strong ad sales for the Super Bowl and that it had limited inventory left, especially in the second half of the game. However, the network has been quiet about its ad sales around the big game this year, after the departure of former chairman and CEO Les Moonves, who used to boast about Super Bowl ad numbers.
