Drinking canned cocktails, versus mixing your own drinks, could be seen as a lazy endeavor—but it's one Cutwater Spirits puts a positive spin on with its first-ever Super Bowl ad.
The 30-second spot from WPP's AKQA, called “Here’s to the Lazy Ones,” makes lighthearted heroes out of Cutwater drinkers by portraying them engaging in other life shortcuts, like using a massage gun to tenderize meat or a blowtorch to melt snow. Below is an extended cut.
The ad “celebrates the everyday ingenuity of those who work smarter, not harder, and enjoy the convenience of bar-quality cocktails in a can,” according to a press release.
The Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brand also stated it took inspiration from Apple’s “Here’s to the Crazy Ones,” the iconic 1997 ad campaign that launched the computer maker’s “Think Different” tagline and featured black-and-white videos of historical figures and visionaries such as Albert Einstein, John Lennon and Martin Luther King Jr. (Cutwater’s ad is shot in black-and-white.)
Even mentioning such a classic ad is a stretch for a booze brand that is making an obvious humor play, although the reference does seem to be made in jest.
The spot marks a bit of a breakthrough moment for the liquor category. Spirits-based products had been banned from running in NFL games until the league lifted that restriction in 2017. But Super Bowl ads continued to be beer-heavy because Anheuser-Busch controls alcohol ad rights and chose to focus on its beer and seltzers, although Cutwater ran a regional Super Bowl ad last year.
Cutwater’s portfolio includes canned versions of tequila, vodka, rum, gin, whiskey and liqueur cocktails. AB InBev acquired the San Diego-based brand in 2019. The brand plans to continue its “work smarter, not harder” push throughout the year.
