AB InBev Super Bowl lineup includes Bud Light, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra

Behind the star power of Lionel Messi and the return of the Clydesdales, Anheuser-Busch InBev will run two and a half minutes of advertising in the Super Bowl, with ads for Bud Light, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra. The three-commercial slate makes AB InBev the Big Game’s biggest alcohol advertiser, the company said, although the buy represents a pullback from 2023, when AB InBev bought three minutes of commercial time. Before that, the company dominated the Big Game for decades through alcohol category exclusivity, which it surrendered starting last year, allowing beer and liquor competitors to run spots. A teaser released Thursday morning for Ultra shows Messi, the world-renowned soccer star, contending with a dog as he juggles a soccer ball on a beach. In another, Messi's eyes narrow when a Ultra draft he orders at a beach bar runs out mid-pour. Last year’s AB InBev buy included two spots for Michelob Ultra along with commercials for Bud Light and Busch Light. This year, Busch Light will not have an ad. Budweiser—relegated to a regional markets ad a year ago—rejoins the national broadcast. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Enter here The Ultra and Bud Light spots will each be 60 seconds and Budweiser’s commercial will be 30 seconds, a company representative said. AB InBev has not yet revealed when the ads will run in the game. Teasers posted on the social media channels of the brands Thursday morning revealed Messi for Michelob Ultra, the Clydesdales for Budweiser and for Bud Light, a mystery star. “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, U.S. chief commercial officer for AB InBev, said in a press release. “We’re showing up big time in this moment that matters for our beer drinkers and football fans across the country through unmatched creative storytelling, seamless trade integrations, record-breaking consumer sweeps, robust media plans, and on-the-ground activations.” Bud Light builds on humor Bud Light, which used last year’s Super Bowl to introduce a new look and feel to its advertising, signaled that this year’s spot would build on its longstanding equity in humor. The ad from Anomaly will introduce a new character to the Bud Light universe, “along with some familiar faces from the platforms the brand has been passionate about for years,” the company said. A teaser shows a shadowy profile of a mustachioed figure with sunglasses as Steppenwolf's “Magic Carpet Ride,” plays. A football fan in surprise asks “Are you...?” Last year’s Bud Light Super Bowl commercial introduced the “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” platform as the brand tried to recruit new drinkers. The Anomaly ad was romantic and only subtly funny, showing Hollywood couple Miles and Keleigh Teller dancing to telephone “on-hold” music. But Bud Light’s new consumer outreach ran aground in April when a sponsored social media post from transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney triggered a consumer boycott that helped to knock Bud Light from its perch as the country’s best-selling beer. Bud Light sales in stores were down 20% in 2023, according to NielsenIQ data reported by Beer Marketer’s Insights. Look back: 5 ways the Bud Light fiasco changed beer marketing Budweiser’s Clydesdales, Ultra’s social athletes Budweiser is also returning to a legacy association as its ad, from FCB New York, will feature the Clydesdales, “with a timeless message of resilience, determination, and coming together over a beer,” AB InBev said. The prancing shaggy-hoofed horses were a staple of Budweiser’s Super Bowl advertising for years, most recently in 2022. A teaser shows the horses on a snowy field as the Band's “The Weight” plays. In line with a focus on “social athletes” Michelob Ultra’s ad from Wieden+Kennedy will feature Messi. Last year Ultra ran two golf-themed ads, one featuring a celebrity cast paying homage to “Caddyshack,” and a second promoting the Netflix series “Full Swing.” Among its beer rivals, only Coors Light has so far confirmed a Super Bowl ad buy, while Constellation Brands (U.S. parent of Modelo), Heineken and Boston Beer Co. (parent of Sam Adams) have said they would not be advertising. AB InBev said all three brands would be busy with activations in Las Vegas, where the Super Bowl takes place Feb. 11. Bud Light is promoting a concert with country star Zach Bryan; Ultra is running a celebrity “Country Club” event at Topgolf, and Clydesdales will parade in Las Vegas, representing the heritage of Budweiser and AB InBev. “For Super Bowl LVIII, Anheuser-Busch and its brands will take over the biggest stage in advertising with a 360 approach,” the company said. “The brands’ above-the-line creative will appear through robust national and local media campaigns inclusive of the general market and Spanish language broadcasts, pre-and post-game moments, in stadium activations and out-of-home placements.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

AB InBev Super Bowl lineup includes Bud Light, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra

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