SunTrust's ad in Super Bowl 50 told you to hold your breath to experience financial anxiety, but Michelob Ultra's Super Bowl ad wants you to go ahead and breathe: first hard, as you exercise, then easy, with a low-calorie beer. (A Gatorade might seem like a better choice, but Michelob Ultra is paying the bills here.)
"Breathe" by FCB Chicago, which won the account a year earlier, was the very first ad to run after kickoff in Super Bowl 50. Michelob Ultra hadn't been in the big game since 2010, when its ad starred a pre-scandal Lance Armstrong ("Little Bumps").
The spot in many ways resembles an ad for a sports brand like Nike or Under Armour, depicting men and women in athletic pursuits and letting out a loud breath each. The beer doesn't make an appearance until 22 seconds in, right before a new tagline: "Brewed for those who go the extra mile." The existing tagline, "Superior Light Beer," wasn't being abandoned, said a spokesman, but the new phrase would be prioritized in 2016.
The ad "highlights the many ways that Michelob Ultra drinkers put in the effort to live an active, balanced life, in a disruptive, grittier style that people haven't seen before in the brand's previous marketing," A-B InBev said in a statement. It came as Coors Light undertook a new campaign focusing on people pursing challenging, outdoorsy activities.
A-B InBev released the ad on Feb. 4, the Thursday before the game.
Director: Antoine Fuqua, who directed the 2001 feature film "Training Day" and 2016's "The Magnificent Seven." Production Company: Wondros.
Chief creative officer: Todd Tilford. Creative directors: Josh Hurley, Andy Kohman. Chief strategy officer: John Kenny. VP-strategy officer: Tom Hehir. Senior producer: Chris Wickman. Manager of business affairs: Kelly Lenthe. Senior VP-group management director: Melanie Hellenga. Post Production: Lord & Thomas. Editor: Steve Immer.
BRAND: Michelob Ultra
YEAR: 2016
AGENCY: FCB
SUPERBOWL: 50
QUARTER AIRED: Q1