No question that Budweiser won the SuperBowl post-game with Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's multiple mentions of the beer brand. His unscripted, and apparently un-compensated "I'm gonna be drinking a lot of Budweiser," is the stuff of a brand manager's dreams.
But that wasn't Anheuser-Busch's only win last night.
But that wasn't Anheuser-Busch's only win last night.
SuperBowl 50 beer-advertising wrap-up Both Budweiser and Michelob Ultra racked up victories with ads that dramatized each brand's distinctiveness. Michelob Ultra's "fitness beer" position came alive with the spoken word replaced by the sound of a workout exhale; Budweiser, with the ballsy continuation of its "Made the hard way" campaign, contrasted the King of Beers with all manner of fussiness and trendiness associated with the craft-beer movement.
ShockTop chose to concentrate on humor but at least managed to include its "unfiltered" point-of-distinction at the very end of the ad. There's some win in that. What's more, ShockTop was an unknown entity to many beer drinkers, so the funny ad certainly served to "get its name before the public." Awareness like that is a worthwhile goal for what is really a new product. Distributors will make use of that advantage at retail. Still, not selling the beer's distinctiveness was a lost opportunity. A little win could've been much more.
And then there was the loser
And then there was the loser
The immediate online responses--both favorable and unfavorable--to Bud Light's ad focused on the one thing the ad registered: the celebrities. The massive SuperBowl audience failed to absorb or articulate any aspect of Bud Light product distinctiveness, unless you count snarky remarks about its taste. All this was to be expected. "Celebrities" are entertainment vehicles; they never amount to a substantive brand strategy. Absent those celebrities dramatizing some provocative aspect of the beer itself, the audience is left with whatever going-in impression they had of the actors. Favorable or unfavorable. And the brand is left with little more than a very expensive online hangover.
Too bad. Anheuser-Busch could've gone 4-0 last night.
As it was--with apologies for mixing metaphors-- some of its brand managers slept well.
But one had a bad nightmare.
Too bad. Anheuser-Busch could've gone 4-0 last night.
As it was--with apologies for mixing metaphors-- some of its brand managers slept well.
But one had a bad nightmare.
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