Budweiser and its iconic Clydesdales are skipping the Super Bowl
- by Jennifer Ramirez
- in Culture&Arts
- — Jan 27, 2021
The self-proclaimed "King of Beers" joins a list of other major companies that have also decided against spending money on Super Bowl ads this year - including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Hyundai. Budweiser plans to donate some of its advertising airtime throughout 2021 to the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, a coalition of experts in health, education, and the economy.
Monday afternoon, high-flying Michelob Ultra, which handily outsells Budweiser, announced its sports-star-filled, one-minute Super Bowl commercial in which famous athletes are partying while a voiceover asks if winning makes us happy, or if being happy makes us winners. The company, however, will still advertise Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay products, the Associated Press reported.
It's not a secret to anyone that part of the fun of watching on Super Bowl Sunday is to check out the hilarious commercials that are on while the game is in timeout.
Avocados from Mexico will also forgo advertising during the game altogether- the first time in six years.
Experts reportedly attribute advertisers' decisions to sit out of the Super Bowl to the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and record unemployment. And advertisers have always shelled out big bucks, paying as much as $5.5 million for a 30-second commercial this year, according to USA Today.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola told CNBC earlier this month that the company's decision to forgo a Super Bowl commercial was "a hard choice" but that they are "investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times". The price for ad time this year is up 28% from 2016, according to estimates from ad-tracker Kantar Media.
Pepsi and Coca-Cola were among the first food brands to announce they were not running TV ads during the Super Bowl.
"It's a tough year to do an ad", Argenti said.
The advertisement, "Bigger Picture", features the narration of Rashida Jones and hits the notes you might expect from an ad in 2021 looking back on the past year. Other, more established brands are directing traditional ad budgets for the game elsewhere.
The ad, created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, features horses that are meant to mimic Budweiser's iconic Clydesdales.
The host of the "Ask Big Questions" podcast said in a statement, "I'm proud to lend my voice" to this film because she explained the brand "shares my commitment to advocating for COVID-19 prevention and vaccine awareness and education".
Ambush marketing surrounding the Super Bowl has continued to increase as ad prices for the game have continued to rise.
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This came to the fore when Melania refused to pose with Trump infront of the media, immediately after Trump exited White House. Melania Trump has already been known to break from tradition by foregoing some customs that her predecessors took on.
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