Anheuser-Busch InBev will run six Super Bowl ads that include bringing Budweiser back to the game after it sat out last year and plugging its new zero-carb Bud Light Next variety with an ad that is expected to make a metaverse reference.
The nation’s largest brewer—which has long held exclusive alcohol ad rights to the game—will also run an ad for Cutwater Spirits, its canned cocktail brand, in addition to spots for Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer.
AB InBev will consume a total of four minutes of ad airtime during the Feb. 13 game on NBC, which is roughly on par with what it has done in recent Super Bowls.
The decision to highlight newer brands with the company’s most valuable ad property underscores its strategy to accelerate investment in more premium products that in some cases have nothing to do with beer.
Regular Bud Light won’t get an ad, for instance. Instead, the brewer will use the game—and its expected viewership of around 100 million people—to debut Bud Light Next, a lighter formula that has 80 calories and 4% alcohol by volume, compared with 110 calories and 4.2% ABV for regular Bud Light.