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It looks like Bud Light is going back to basics with its Super Bowl ad this year after a disastrous 2023.
With a teaser released on YouTube on Friday, the beer brand hopes to stir up some conversation ahead of the big game next month.
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In the 12-second snippet, a man with a thick beard, metallic sunglasses and a zipped-up Bud Light hoodie is shown and then a football fan excitedly asks “Are you …?”
According to the company, the mystery man is a “new character to the Bud Light universe” who will be joined by other celebrities who have appeared in prior campaigns and/or have been involved with Anheuser-Busch’s other products.
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“The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest moment, and our goal is to once again captivate our audience when the world is watching,” Kyle Norrington, chief commercial officer of Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement.
The company is emphasizing that the “humorous” commercial is a return to Bud Light’s previous fun-loving ways that helped grow the brand to the top-selling beer in the U.S.
But after the company’s disastrous campaign involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in early 2023, Bud Light faced boycotts from high-profile conservative celebrities and took a massive hit in market share.
It was overtaken by Modelo as the No. 1 beer brand in America and only recently has begun to claw back support with a new direction for ads.
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CEO Brendan Whitworth said last April that the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” but sales continued to plummet.
Bud Light recently entered into a massive multi-year deal with UFC to become the official beer of the world’s biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion, with UFC 297 in Toronto last Saturday serving as its first event as a main sponsor.
As for Anheuser-Busch’s other brands – which also took smaller hits due to the boycott, Budweiser will air a commercial for its iconic Clydesdales while Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl spot will feature Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi, who joined Inter Miami last summer.
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