It’s a very different Super Bowl this year for drinks ads, following AB-InBev’s decision not to renew its exclusivity deal with the NFL, which was worth a reported $US250 million annually.

“The Super Bowl is a huge tentpole moment for consumers, but it doesn’t necessarily line up with the key moment of consumption for the beer industry,” said Spencer Gordon, Anheuser-Busch’s VP of consumer connections.

This year the game will be broadcast from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, with brands paying $US6-7 million for a primetime slot. More than 100 million people are expected to tune in and a successful commercial can generate a 500% uplift in sales for brands in the days afterwards.

While it may no longer be the only alcohol brand to advertise at the Super Bowl after a 33-year run, AB-InBev will still have a major presence.

The beer giant will have three minutes of national air time during the game, focusing on its biggest brands, including Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Busch Light.

Benoit Garbe, chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch, told CNN the Super Bowl remains a “great way to kick off the new year” and the highly watched game is a “beautiful platform to showcase our brand and creativity.”

This year’s focus prioritises drinkers of traditional beers after last year when the company bought ads for Bud Light Seltzer, which CNN described as “a fad that has seen its popularity since fade” and Bud Light Next, its “fledgling zero-carb beer that has experienced modest sales since launch”. 

Michelob Ultra has gone for a Caddyshack golfing spoof.

Budweiser is doing a 30-second regional ad with Kevin Bacon narrating the commercial, titled “Six Degrees of Bud”—a play on the famous “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

Meanwhile, the Bud Light ad will feature Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller, his wife and their six-year-old French bulldog Bugsy. The couple dance to hold music while they’re enduring a 50-minute wait to speak to a customer service representative and crack open a beer.

Shortly after AB InBev’s announcement that it was ending its exclusivity deal, Molson Coors said it was a “no brainer” to buy air time during the game. 

Molson Coors has partnered with DraftKings to convince American Super Bowl fans to bet on the details of its spot during the game.

Consumers are encouraged to bet on aspects of the ad such as which beer — Miller Lite or Coors Lite — will be shown first, which breed of dog will be featured, and how many people will have facial hair during the spot.

For their Super Bowl ad, Heineken 0.0 enlists Hollywood A-lister and Ant Man star Paul Rudd.

Borja Manso, Heineken’s head of US marketing says: “It’s about making moderation normal, useful and cool.”

Diageo is making its Super Bowl debut this year with an ad for Crown Royal whisky. Notably, the British brand became the NFL’s first-ever spirits brand, in 2021, and was one of the first liquor brands to advertise within NFL games after the league ended its ban on spirits in 2017. the ad is directed by Jake Scott whose father Ridley Scott.

It features Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who learns a new skill in the commercial—but it’s a secret until game day. 

Also joining in is Rémy Cointreau. The French company bought a 60-second ad for its Rémy Martin cognac that will air in the first quarter of the game. It has previously aired regional ads focusing on its gin. Rémy Cointreau has bought its first national ad, a 60-second spot in the first quarter for its 300-year old cognac brand from the House of Rémy Martin.

The ad stars Serena Williams, with the just-retired international tennis star championing its “Team Up for Excellence” brand theme.

House of Rémy Martin CEO Jean-Philippe Hecquetsaid: “Serena Williams, as the greatest female athlete of all time and a cultural icon, was the perfect choice. She is a global inspiration, and inch by inch, Williams and her team have made history by breaking down barriers, striving for excellence and achieving greatness.”

Nicolas Beckers, chief executive of Rémy Cointreau Americas added: “This national campaign reinforces our continued investment in having our brands show up during one of the biggest sports moments of the year and is a major milestone in the growth of Rémy Martin.”

The contents of the commercial are being kept under wraps, but teasers show Williams walking through a lighted tunnel and seated at a bar with a glass of Rémy VSOP. 

Comedians Steve Martin and Ben Stiller have roasted each other in a hilarious Pespi ad to promote its zero-sugar range.

Two teasers have been released to the public including one where Martin takes a dig at Stiller for being a ‘nepo baby’, which is a term used to describe second, or even third, generation celebrities.