NEW YORK (AP) – For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant is not promoting its iconic Budweiser brand at the Super Bowl. Instead, it is donating the money it would have spent on the ad to awareness-raising efforts for coronavirus vaccination.
Anheuser-Busch will have four more minutes of commercials during the game for its other brands, including Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Those are some of the hottest sellers, especially among younger viewers.
But the decision not to make an anthemic Budweiser ad – that in nearly four decades, American icons of frogs chirping “Budweiser,” guys saying “Whassup!” Shouting, and of course the Budweiser Clydesdales, has been squealing – shows the caution with some advertisers approaching the first COVID-era Super Bowl.
“We have a pandemic that is confusing just about everything,” said Paul Argenti, a professor of business communications at Dartmouth College. “It’s hard to feel the exuberance and excitement that people would normally have.”
Anheuser-Busch’s move follows a similar announcement from PepsiCo., Which will not be promoting its biggest brand, Pepsi, to focus on its sponsorship of the halftime show. (It will advertise Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay products). Other veteran Super Bowl advertisers, such as Mexico’s Coke, Audi and Avocados, are completely out of the game.
These absences from major brands are just one more way that Super Bowl LV will look very different from previous years. Contest entry is limited to 22,000 people, approximately one third of the more than 65,890 capacity of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. And Super Bowl parties are more likely to be smaller affairs with pods or families.
“I think the advertisers are right to start with the fact that this is a riskier year for the Super Bowl,” said Charles Taylor, marketing professor at Villanova University. “With COVID and economic uncertainty, people are not necessarily in the best mood to start with. There is a risk of messages that may be underweight. … At the same time, there is a risk of doing something too gloomy. “
The pandemic has slashed sales for many Super Bowl advertisers. With expensive ads estimated to cost $ 5.5 million for 30 seconds during the Feb. 7 airing on CBS, some may have decided it’s not worth it this year. Coca-Cola, for example, has been hit hard, as half of its sales come from stadiums, cinemas, and other typically busy places that were closed during the pandemic. It announced layoffs in December, saying it said it would not be promoting this year to ensure it “invests in the right resources at these unprecedented times.”
To fill the void, newbies like the TikTok rival Triller, online freelance marketplace Fiverr and online car salesman Vroom are rushing into their place. Recurring brands include M & M’s, Pringles, Toyota, and others.
Companies posting advertisements this year face a number of challenges. Super Bowl ads are usually developed months in advance and shot in the fall, meaning ads that air in two weeks time were shot under costly pandemic circumstances and with no idea how the presidential election would go. That further complicates the already delicate process of addressing a tone that recognizes what is happening to the world, managing to entertain or attract viewers’ hearts, and finding a way to link it all back to their Brand.
“It’s been a difficult year to make an ad,” said Argenti. “It will be a good year for creative companies figuring out how to thread that needle.”
Monica Rustgi, Budweiser’s vice president of marketing, said the brand is still calculating how much it will spend on vaccine awareness. But she said it will be a “multi-million dollar” commitment, which will include donating airtime this year for the nonprofit the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.
Budweiser will still have a presence in marketing around the big game. Starting Monday, the brand will air an ad celebrating resilience during the pandemic, including a social distance birthday parade and athletes in Black Lives Matter jerseys. The ad, narrated by actress and director Rashida Jones, ends with health worker vaccinations and talks about Budweiser’s donation.
In the age of social media and digital advertising, brands are not limited to showing ads at one event, as consumers can see them online from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube, Budweiser’s Rustgi said. Budweiser’s Super Bowl step back won’t be long-term either, she said.
“The Super Bowl is the most popular sporting event, aside from the World Cup, that everyone will see,” added Dartmouth’s Argenti. “An event that attracts so many people to advertising will never disappear.”
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Durbin reported from Detroit.