As one of the biggest beer companies in the world, Anheuser-Busch is a name that's become synonymous with the Super Bowl, which itself is probably the single occasion on the US calendar where the most beer is consumed. Cementing this unspoken holy union, Anheuser-Busch has officially announced its return as the exclusive category advertiser for the 2017 Super Bowl, marking its 28th consecutive year in the big game. The national brewer will feature four of its brands, bringing back last year’s advertisers Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, and Super Bowl newcomer; Busch.
Anheuser-Busch is scheduled to have at least three full minutes of advertising in this year’s game, complemented by a robust digital strategy. Marcel Marcondes, Vice President of Marketing at Anheuser-Busch, said: “The Super Bowl has become one of those increasingly rare cultural moments in time when consumers anticipate and talk about the commercials as much as the event itself. For Super Bowl 51, we are not just creating ads for the game, but kicking off strategic creative campaigns for the year. For that reason, we’re debuting new work that we believe will resonate before, during and long after game day.”
As far as the big players are concerned, Bud Light, the Official Beer of the NFL, will debut a new 60 second Super Bowl spot as part of a larger campaign tied to Bud Light’s role in building friendships over beers. The Bud Light campaign, anchored by the brand’s newly announced 2017 tagline, “Famous Among Friends,” is being handled by Wieden+Kennedy New York. Budweiser, meanwhile, will draw inspiration from the story of its founder, Adolphus Busch, to celebrate the brand’s enduring ambition and hustle in pursuit of the American dream; 141 years and counting. The brand has aired 101 commercials in the Super Bowl. The Budweiser campaign is being handled by Anomaly.
Returning to the game for its second consecutive year is also newcomer, Michelob ULTRA (the fastest growing US beer brand), which will continue to celebrate those who live both an active and social lifestyle. The new 30 second spot will continue the brand’s “Brewed for Those Who Go the Extra Mile” campaign for a second year, hoping to inspire consumers to feel that they can work out and still go out. The Michelob ULTRA campaign is led by FCB Chicago. Joining the Super Bowl lineup for the first time is Busch, the leading beer franchise in the value market. Busch will introduce itself to a new generation of beer drinkers, drawing on decades of equity as a brand that stays true to its name. The Busch campaign is led by Deutsch.
Several of Anheuser-Busch’s commercials and campaigns will be released on digital platforms prior to the US FOX broadcast on February 5th (as per usual, in the UK we'll be watching it via the BBC) and we'll be featuring them as and when they drop in the build up to the big event, which remains one of the most important in ad land. As far as what to expect from the upcoming spots is concerned? Marcondes warns us: “Do not expect celebrities. Do not expect epic things,” inferring a more basics approach that might just hit the spot after the largely overblown attempts from last year. Of course, that could always be a red herring though. Either way 2016 was a pretty good year, so it'll be rather hard to top. On that note, below we've collected the company's spots from Super Bowl 50 so feel free to fill your boots!
