Just as Michelob Ultra spokesman Chris Pratt beefed up from lovable comic relief to action hero in multiple movie franchises, Anheuser Busch is beefing up its Super Bowl buy.
The beer giant is shooting its shot on Feb. 3 with eight ads that highlight seven products from five brands. With exclusive rights for alcohol advertising in the game, Anheuser Busch is cashing in on its opportunity to put beer on everyone’s minds.
And that’s AB-InBev’s goal. As beer loses market share to other forms of alcohol, CMO Marcel Marcondes told our senior editor of brand marketing Kristina Monllos that the company wants to help “elevate beer.”
AB is choosing to highlight a wide range of products across its portfolio, keying in on three themes: quality (Budweiser, Bud Light), premiumization (Michelob Ultra, Stella) and innovation (Budweiser: Copper Lager, Michelob Ultra: Pure Gold and SpikedSeltzer).
The creative direction of the eight spots isn’t clear (no word on whether Chris Pratt will flex his now ginormous muscles for Michelob Ultra), but David, VaynerMedia, Wieden + Kennedy, FCB, Mother and Bullish will be the agencies involved.
In other news, PepsiCo is also rocking the multiple brand strategy, buying up 90 seconds of airtime for Doritos, Bubly (sparkling water) and Pepsi. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners will handle the creative for those spots. And as always, Pepsi is sponsoring the halftime show, which features the oddly intriguing pairing of Maroon 5 and rapper Travis Scott.
Two brands that made big splashes in 2017 after President Donald Trump took office, Airbnb and 84 Lumber, reportedly won’t be in this year’s game. Airbnb was a last-minute buy two years ago following Trump’s travel ban, and 84 Lumber bought up 90 seconds to showcase the journey of an immigrant family to the border.
As always, for all updates on the game, bookmark our Super Bowl tracker. And if you have tips or want to get in touch with us about our Super Bowl coverage, email me at jameson.fleming@adweek.com.
Until next time, all hail the #DoubleDoink.
