The big beer story leading into this year’s game was that Budweiser wouldn’t be running Super Bowl commercial and that the Clydesdales and their pet puppy had been figuratively put out to pasture. If you found yourself disappointed in that, Sam Adams’ horses definitely have you covered.
While Budweiser may have been absent, the Anheuser Busch family of brands was still on full display, embracing the changing landscape of drinkers across the country. Hard seltzers, canned cocktails, ultralight beers – and not a single potshot at Miller or mention of “drinkability.”
Samuel Adams Horses Clydesdales
Sam Adams is the Budweiser of craft beer, so if anyone was going to bring back the Clydesdales, it seems fitting that it would be them. This might also be the first Super Bowl commercial for an IPA let alone a hazy IPA.
Aviation Gin with Ryan Reynolds, Diddy, and David Beckham
I don’t think this is actually a Super Bowl commercial, but Ryan Reynolds definitely knows how to seize the moment. He brought together three of Diageo’s celebrity powerhouses – himself, Diddy, and David Beckham – for a stellar cocktail commercial featuring each of their respective brands. Don’t try this at home. Literally.
Michelob Ultra Super Bowl Commercial – Hard Seltzer
Michelob Ultra called in Don Cheadle and a boatload of celebrity impersonators, including a stellar Christopher Walker soundalike, in order to brag about how their hard seltzer has 2 fewer carbs than the competition. For reference, that’s 1/10th of a banana’s worth of carbs.
Guiness Super Bowl Commercial feat. Joe Montana
Guinness went with a semi-serious Super Bowl commercial this year, talking about how last year sucked, and this year will hopefully be better. For me though, it just seemed like a recut of the Converse “fall seven times, stand up eight” commercial from a few years ago, only this was about COVID-19 instead of Dwyane Wade.
Bud Light Legends Save the Super Bowl
Bud Light couldn’t decided on a new theme for this year, so they brought back their Bud Light Legends (except one) and referenced a two year old movie. And you know what? I’m here for it. We all need a little more Cedric the Entertainer and Bud Bowl bottles in our lives.
Cut Out with Cutwater Super Bowl Commercial
Canned cocktails finally get their moment in the sun, and Cutwater did a great job of demonstrating their use case. You don’t need them for sitting around the house when you can easily make a real cocktail. You want them when you’re out doing fun stuff. That’s pitch-perfect marketing. Also, where do I get one of those coolers?
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade Commercial
If you’re going to use a tired, old phrase, do it big. That’s exactly what Bud Light did for their seltzer lemonade. They even went the self-awarewolves route by cutting of the, “when life hands you lemons,” line. Something about the name Seltzer Lemonade just sucks though. Those feel like two different products, and my unwarranted opinion is that it should have been sparkling lemonade.
Let’s Grab a Beer – Anheuser-Busch Super Bowl Commercial
With Budweiser on the sidelines, who would step in and offer a beer commercial that tugs at the heartstrings? Well, turns out it was Budweiser. Or Anheuser-Busch to be more accurate. It’s the feel-good spot of the bunch, and it makes me want to go grab a beer with someone more than anything else. Someday, folks. Someday.
“Happy” Michelob Ultra
Michelob Ultra takes the award for laziest commercial of the day, with more than 50% of its runtime being just photos with voiceover. I guess if you’re going to spend $11 million dollars on a 60-second Super Bowl commercial, you probably need to save a few bucks on the actual production.
“Heartbeat Billionaire” Stella Artois Super Bowl Commercial
Lenny Kravitz is still around, so that’s good I guess. Stella has had a tough road to road to climb ever since craft beer made people realize that being an “import” didn’t necessarily mean it was better. I’m not sure this did a whole lot to encourage anyone to drink Stella Artois, but I did enjoy the sentiment.
