Over the years, it's become increasingly common for brands to release--or tease--their SuperBowl ads ahead of the actual game. So it's not surprising Anheuser-Busch just pulled the curtain back on two of its four SuperBowl 50 advertising efforts. They apparently figure getting out ahead of the hype increases their odds of getting noticed.
We're happy to oblige with our first reaction, even as we await the full versions of the ads.
ShockTop
Here's the gist of this two-minute teaser from its first 30 seconds...
We're happy to oblige with our first reaction, even as we await the full versions of the ads.
ShockTop
Here's the gist of this two-minute teaser from its first 30 seconds...
Later in the video, the tap-handle logo-guy carries on some banter with comedian T.J. Miller who ultimately promises "the greatest SuperBowl ad of all time." Whether the final ad will rise to that lofty boast, we're encouraged by the obvious product-distinctiveness-grounded message surrounding the "unfiltered" aspect of the beer.
This "unfiltered" beer-focused strategy for ShockTop would mean that--with Budweiser and Michelob Ultra--three of four Anheuser-Busch SuperBowl brands will be airing product-distinctiveness-based advertising on the big game.
What're A-B's odds of going 4-0?
Bud Light
If Bud Light's teaser is any indication, the answer is: not good at all.
This "unfiltered" beer-focused strategy for ShockTop would mean that--with Budweiser and Michelob Ultra--three of four Anheuser-Busch SuperBowl brands will be airing product-distinctiveness-based advertising on the big game.
What're A-B's odds of going 4-0?
Bud Light
If Bud Light's teaser is any indication, the answer is: not good at all.
Anything special about the beer? In our last article on the run-up to the SuperBowl 50 ads, we cautioned that celebrities and humor--two gimmicks Bud Light's marketing people said would have a role in the ads--could interfere with a selling message about the beer itself. We went on: Pay attention to what they actually say about the beer, beyond simply repeating its name.
In Bud Light's teaser, comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen neither offer nor hint at anything special or distinctive about the beer. Bud Light's nothing but a prop in the two comedians' hands, the antithesis of product-distinctiveness. While both Bud Light and ShockTop use humor and celebrity, the former lacks a product feature akin to "unfiltered." If that proves to be the case across the board in the coming ads, it'll be a big miss. "Funny" and "clever" just aren't enough to sell beer. If they were, Old Milwaukee would've been a mega-success and Budweiser's talking frogs would still be talking.
Unless the coming Bud Light ads reveal what's provocative, distinctive, and special about the beer--in the way "unfiltered," "low-carb," and "Brewed the Hard Way" are employed by its corporate stablemates--we predict the "Bud Light Party" and its generic "Raise one" slogan--will suffer a crushing defeat in the beer aisle.
What a lost opportunity that would be.
In Bud Light's teaser, comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen neither offer nor hint at anything special or distinctive about the beer. Bud Light's nothing but a prop in the two comedians' hands, the antithesis of product-distinctiveness. While both Bud Light and ShockTop use humor and celebrity, the former lacks a product feature akin to "unfiltered." If that proves to be the case across the board in the coming ads, it'll be a big miss. "Funny" and "clever" just aren't enough to sell beer. If they were, Old Milwaukee would've been a mega-success and Budweiser's talking frogs would still be talking.
Unless the coming Bud Light ads reveal what's provocative, distinctive, and special about the beer--in the way "unfiltered," "low-carb," and "Brewed the Hard Way" are employed by its corporate stablemates--we predict the "Bud Light Party" and its generic "Raise one" slogan--will suffer a crushing defeat in the beer aisle.
What a lost opportunity that would be.
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