Bud Light debuts Super Bowl Snapchat filters, final chapter of 'dilly dilly'

Dive Brief:

Bud Light unveiled the final installment in its Dilly Dilly Trilogy for the Super Bowl, according to a press release. The "Bud Knight" spot will run during the game's second quarter following the airing of the second spot in the series, "Ye Olde Pep Talk," which debuted during the AFC and NFC championships in January.
The beer brand is also releasing a Snapchat game and two animated filters, per Digiday. Bud Light will rotate animated filters featuring clinking beer bottles and signs reading "dilly dilly" during the game. After the game, the brand will offer geotargeted filters with specific ones for the winning and losing cities. The winner's filter is titled "Friend of the Crown," and the loser's is "Thy Men Shall Persevere."
The brand's interactive Snapchat game launched over a week ago. "The Battle of Beer Run" game features a knight running through a battle to collect Bud Light products. Users can swipe up to watch a "dilly dilly" commercial after they play the game.

Dive Insight:

Though the phrase "dilly dilly" actually has no meaning, that certainly hasn't stopped it from becoming a viral success and cultural phenomenon, much like Budweiser's ubiquitous "Whassup?" campaign from the '90s. Much of the success of the "dilly dilly" campaign revolves around Bud Light knowing its audience and delivering the right messaging at the right time, mainly during football games. Fans have posted about it on social media when their favorite teams scored touchdowns, and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reportedly used the phrase to direct his teammates.

By continuing the campaign on Snapchat, Bud Light is making a direct reach for the millennial crowd to drive excitement around the commercial trilogy and efforts for the big game. The brand is looking to reach 21- to 24-year-olds who generally enjoy engaging with brands on mobile, the brand's digital brand manager told Digiday. However, most Snapchat users are younger than 21. About 70% of 12- to 17-year-olds use Snapchat and Instagram, with 40% engaging on the platform several times a day, according to Forrester research.

Last year, Bud Light launched a similar Snapchat game for the Super Bowl and saw an average watch time of 108 seconds, with users spending a total of 4,700 hours playing the game, Digiday reports. This success was likely a key driver for the brand to repeat the effort a second year.

"Dilly dilly" made its debut in the brand's commercial last August and has been the subject of a subsequent trilogy of ads. The widely-played TV commercials turned the phrase into memes and GIFs that have had extensive mentions on social media, shows and live events. While Bud Light has said its latest Super Bowl spot is the final chapter in the trilogy, the catchphrase itself may not be over. Bud Light's vice president of marketing Andy Goeler urged fans to "stay tuned for more from Bud Light and the Dilly Dilly universe in 2018," per the release.