For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn鈥檛 advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it鈥檚 donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts.
Anheuser-Busch still has four minutes of advertising during the game for its other brands including Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Those are some of its hottest sellers, particularly among younger viewers.
But the decision to not do an anthemic Budweiser ad 鈥� which over nearly four decades has made American icons of frogs chirping 鈥淏udweiser,鈥� guys screaming 鈥淲hassup!鈥�, and of course the Budweiser Clydesdales 鈥� showcases the caution with which some advertisers are approaching the first COVID-era Super Bowl.
鈥淲e have a pandemic that is casting a pall over just about everything,鈥� said Paul Argenti, Dartmouth College professor of corporate communication. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to feel the exuberance and excitement people normally would.鈥�
The Anheuser-Busch move follows a similar announcement from PepsiCo., which won鈥檛 advertising its biggest brand, Pepsi, in order to focus on its sponsorship of the the halftime show. (It will be advertising Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay products). Other veteran Super Bowl advertisers like Coke, Audi and Avocados from Mexico are sitting out the game altogether.
These big-brand absences are just one more way Super Bowl LV will look very different from previous years. Attendance at the game will be limited to 22,000 people, about a third of the more than 65,890 capacity of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. And Super Bowl parties will be more likely to be smaller affairs with pods or families.
鈥淚 think the advertisers are correctly picking up on this being a riskier year for the Super Bowl,鈥� said Charles Taylor, marketing professor at Villanova University. 鈥淲ith COVID and economic uncertainty, people aren鈥檛 necessarily in the best mood to begin with. There鈥檚 a risk associated with messages that are potentially too light. 鈥� At the same time, there鈥檚 risk associated with doing anything too sombre.鈥�
The pandemic has cut sharply into sales for many Super Bowl advertisers. With pricey ads costing an estimated $5.5 million for 30 seconds during the Feb. 7 broadcast on CBS, some may have decided it鈥檚 not worth it this year. Coca-Cola, for example, has been hard hit since half of its sales come from stadiums, movie theatres and other usually crowded places that have been closed during the pandemic. It announced layoffs in December, and said it said it wouldn鈥檛 advertise this year to ensure it鈥檚 鈥渋nvesting in the right resources during these unprecedented times.鈥�
To fill the void, newcomers like the TikTok rival Triller, online freelance marketplace Fiverr and online car seller Vroom are rushing in to take their place. Returning brands include M&M鈥檚, Pringles, Toyota and others.
Companies that are running ads this year face a number of challenges. Super Bowl ads are usually developed months in advance and shot in the fall, meaning that ads airing in two weeks were shot under costly pandemic conditions and without any idea how the presidential election would turn out. That further complicates the already delicate process of striking a tone that acknowledges what鈥檚 happening with the world, managing to either entertain or tug at viewer heartstrings, and finding a way to tie it all back to their brand.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough year to do an ad,鈥� Argenti said. 鈥淚t will be a good year for creative companies who figure out how to thread that needle.鈥�
Monica Rustgi, Budweiser鈥檚 vice-president of marketing, said the brand is still calculating how much it will spend on vaccine awareness. But she said it will be a 鈥渕ulti-million dollar鈥� commitment that includes donating airtime throughout this year for the non-profit the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative鈥檚 COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.
Budweiser will still have a marketing presence around the big game. Starting Monday, the brand will air an ad that celebrates resilience during the pandemic, including a socially distanced birthday parade and athletes in Black Lives Matter jerseys. The ad, narrated by actress and director Rashida Jones, ends with health care workers getting vaccinated and talks about Budweiser鈥檚 donation.
In the era of social media and digital advertising, brands aren鈥檛 limited to running ads during one event, since consumers can see them online, everywhere from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube, Budweiser鈥檚 Rustgi said. Budweiser鈥檚 Super Bowl step-back also won鈥檛 be long-term, she said.
鈥淭he Super Bowl is the most popular sports event, aside from the World Cup, that anybody is going to see,鈥� added Dartmouth鈥檚 Argenti. 鈥淎n event that draws that many people to the advertising is never going to go away.鈥�
Mae Anderson And Dee-Ann Durbin, The Associated Press
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