For Super Bowl LIII, Bud Light went medieval. Again.
Enlisting the help of Wieden & Kennedy New York to create a series of four ads straight out of the Middle Ages (airing one per quarter), the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewer went for laughs, while taking the opportunity to distance itself from the use of corn syrup.
In the brand’s first spot of the night, a larger-than-life barrel of corn syrup has been delivered to the Bud Light Castle in error, and a band of brewers is dispatched in an attempt to return the barrel to its rightful recipient. Battling every peril from lightning to the Kraken, the team knocks at the castles of both Miller Lite and Coors Light—two competitors that use corn syrup to make their beer.
The 60-second “Special Delivery” spot also features the initial return of the Bud Knight, who had a starring role in one of Bud Light’s two Super Bowl commercials in 2018.
This year’s medieval spots are a natural continuation for Bud Light, which has been leaning on the Middle Ages in its advertising since August 2017, when the brewer first released its “Banquet” ad and brought the made-up phrase “Dilly Dilly!” to the forefront of public consciousness.
BRAND: Bud Light
YEAR: 2019
AGENCY: Wieden & Kennedy New York
SUPER BOWL: LIII
QUARTER AIRED: Q1