Budweiser to forego commercial time during Super Bowl 2021 broadcast
With humorous frogs, lovable puppies and its iconic Clydesdale horses, Budweiser has develop into synonymous with Super Bowl promoting over the previous 4 many years, producing a number of the most memorable commercials within the historical past of tv’s marquee dwell occasion.
This yr, nonetheless, the model is taking a move.
Budweiser introduced Monday morning that it’s foregoing its annual Super Bowl commercial slot for the primary time in 37 years, becoming a member of fellow juggernauts Coke, Hyundai and Pepsi in skipping this yr’s Super Bowl broadcast amid the monetary uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The beer model mentioned in a information launch that as a substitute of paying to air a Super Bowl advert, it should as a substitute be “reallocating the media investment” to increase consciousness in regards to the COVID-19 vaccine all year long, in partnership with the Ad Council.
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“Like everyone else, we are eager to get people back together, reopen restaurants and bars, and be able to gather to cheers with friends and family,” Budweiser vice chairman of promoting Monica Rustgi mentioned in a press release. “To do this, and to bring consumers back into neighborhood bars and restaurants that were hit exceptionally hard by the pandemic, we’re stepping in to support critical awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
According to the information launch, Budweiser plans to donate a few of its promoting airtime all through 2021 to the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, a coalition of specialists in well being, training and the economic system. Clarissa Dickinson, a spokesperson for Budweiser, mentioned she was unable to present a precise monetary worth of the donated time however referred to as it “a multi-million dollar commitment.”
CBS, which owns the tv rights for Super Bowl 55, has sought $5.5 million for a 30-second spot during this yr’s broadcast, in accordance to a number of stories.
Though Budweiser is skipping this yr’s tv broadcast, it should nonetheless run a 90-second advert titled “Bigger Picture” on digital platforms earlier than and during the Super Bowl. The commercial is narrated by actress Rashida Jones.
Bud Light, one other Anheuser-Busch model, continues to be anticipated to air an advert during the sport.
The absence of Budweiser — and fellow Super Bowl regulars Coke, Hyundai and Pepsi — will go away this yr’s broadcast with out a number of of the perennial contenders in USA TODAY’s Ad Meter, which ranks Super Bowl commercials by client score. Budweiser has a file eight Ad Meter titles since 1989, whereas the opposite three firms have mixed for six wins during that span.
All 4 firms framed the transfer as a matter of technique and useful resource allocation amid the pandemic, which has led to job losses and funds cuts throughout industries.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson told CNBC earlier this month that the corporate wouldn’t air a Super Bowl advert to “ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times,” whereas a Hyundai spokesperson told Ad Age that “this was a decision based on marketing priorities.”
Pepsi, in the meantime, mentioned it’s merely prioritizing its sponsored halftime present.
“Instead of buying a traditional 30-second in-game Super Bowl ad, we decided to double down on the 12 minutes Pepsi already has in the middle of the game — the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show,” vice chairman of promoting Todd Kaplan said in a statement.
Kimberly Whitler, an assistant professor of promoting on the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, mentioned she just isn’t shocked that some manufacturers are selecting not to run Super Bowl commercials this yr.
Whitler believes the occasions of 2020, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and presidential election, have created an irregular diploma of uncertainty this yr — not simply by way of funds, but in addition by way of messaging. Super Bowl adverts are often deliberate and produced a number of months upfront, she famous, and placing the correct tone can typically really feel like “a high-wire act.”
“If you are too somber, funny, or incendiary — or if you don’t strike the ‘right’ chord for the moment — the backlash can be significant,” Whitler wrote in an electronic mail. “Everything is magnified. Press – good and bad — is amplified. The risk is simply greater.”
The absence of well-known manufacturers has opened the door for first-time advertisers. Vroom, a platform for getting and promoting used vehicles on-line, and DoorDash, a meals supply service, are among the many firms that may air a Super Bowl advert for the primary time this yr.
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
