Cutwater Spirits Super Bowl ad celebrates lazy mixology with its canned cocktails

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. Get the latest Ad Age Super Bowl 2022 news here.

Cutwater Spirits Super Bowl ad celebrates lazy mixology with its canned cocktails

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