Serena Williams is a fierce bowler in Michelob Ultra’s star-studded Super Bowl ad

Serena Williams—feared for years on the tennis court—is equally intimidating at the bowling alley. That is the premise of a Michelob Ultra Super Bowl ad, which assembles six sports stars at the so-called Superior Bowl where they take their competitive fire to an unlikely venue. Steve Buscemi, who played a bowler in the 1998 movie “The Big Lebowski,” appears as the bartender. He looks on as NFL great Peyton Manning, golfer Brooks Koepka and soccer legend Alex Morgan and basketball stars Jimmy Butler and Nneka Ogwumike compete on the lanes. But the real star is Williams, who struts into the alley at the end, instilling fear in the sports stars, as Buscemi says “game time.” Wieden+Kennedy New York handled the spot with Rachel Morrison directing. It will run in the game as a 60-second ad. Ultra is also debuting a "Spare Clothes Clothing" collection and has arranged for Williams to wear a limited-edition Superior Bowl bomber jacket that will be part of an integration with NBC's broadcast of the game. The ad sticks to two approaches the low-cal beer has used of late: Showing renowned athletes engaged in activities outside of their native sport, while giving equal representation to male and female stars. The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand last year ran a Super Bowl ad that included Manning playing darts and Williams singing karaoke with girlfriends. Ultra last year committed $100 million over five years it said would be aimed at increasing visibility for women's sports, including by ensuring equal representation of female and male athlete endorsers. It has also inked a five-year deal with The Women’s Sports Foundation to “help fund the travel and training needed for female athletes to compete at an elite level,” according to a statement. From a business perspective, the brand’s Super Bowl ad lineup this year aims to push Ultra’s growing number of line extensions, which include Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer and Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. The seltzer is featured in a 30-second ad that will also run in the game. It shows Koepka consulting his caddy about what to order at the bowling alley bar. Ultra Gold—which is marketed as an organic light lager—is pushed in a third ad backed by a regional Super Bowl ad buy that stars Mexican American pop star Becky G. It will run in markets including Dallas, Houston and Miami. Hear more about Super Bowl ad trends on the latest episode of Marketer's Brief. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend!

Serena Williams is a fierce bowler in Michelob Ultra’s star-studded Super Bowl ad

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