Super Bowl LVIII kicks off on February 11 and drinks companies have spent up to $US7 million for 30-second ad slots during the game.
Super Bowl ads sold out by early November 2023 and are dominated this year by food and beverage brands, including Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Lite, Michelob Ultra and more.
By the time brands factor in the cost to create the ads themselves, which is often more than twice what they will spend to run them, one spot can cost more than $US20 million.
Imagine, for example, how much it cost to reunite Friends stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer for this Uber Eats Super Bowl ad …
It also includes David and Victoria Beckham struggling to remember the name of the pop group she was part of in the 90s. “Basil babes,” says David confidently. Posh replies: “Wasn’t it the Cinnamon Sisters?”
Ka-ching!
Why do brands do it? Well, when the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers face off against each other the 2024 Super Bowl, it’s estimated that more than 110 million viewers will watch the game in the US alone.
“It’s the last tent-pole mass media event at the moment,” Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, chief marketing officer for DoorDash, which has a commercial in this year’s Super Bowl, told CBS MoneyWatch. “It’s the one time you have left where you can have 100 million people-plus paying attention to the same thing.”
Super Bowl is also gathering momentum in Australia, with an ad campaign by cable sports channel ESPN encouraging local fans of US football to take the day off (with the blessing of their employer)
“The Super Bowl is being played on a Monday down under, so sign me up for the Super Bowl Sickie,” said ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
“If you’ve got Super Bowl fever, no medicine is going to cure that, except watching the big game. Call in sick…trust me.”
Watch the ad below:
Seven’s Mega Super Bowl coverage kicks off at 10am AEDT on Monday, 12 February live onChannel 7, 7mate and 7plus.
All the Super Bowl drinks ad teasers
The biggest drinks investor in Super Bowl is AB InBev, which has been involved in the game for almost 50 years. This year it will run ads for Bud Light, which is the official NFL sponsor, plus Budweiser and Michelob Ultra.
Watch the Bud Light teaser below:
Budweiser has unveiled a new ad campaign that pays homage to one of the beer brand’s iconic symbols, its Clydesdales. The ad is set in a small snow-covered town where closed roads threaten to halt beer deliveries to local bars.
The Budweiser Clydesdales come to the rescue, delivering beer to local communities.
Watch the ad below:
Following the success of last year’s Super Bowl ad featuring Coors Light and Miller Lite, Molson Coors will feature “the world’s coldest locomotive” in this year’s ads.
Watch the teaser for the ad below:
Michelob Ultra has released three teaser spots: ‘Stand-Off’ and ‘Goat v Dog’ starring footballer Lionel Messi and ‘Get Out There’ starring actor Jason Sudeikis.
Sudeikis is on the beach when he spots legend Dan Marino holding a soccer ball, while Messi is waiting for his Michelob Ultra beer at the bar.
Watch the teaser starring Sudeikis below:
The Miller Lite ad features actor-comedian Rob Riggle. Watch it below:
STōK, cold brew coffee brand and Wrexham AFC sponsor, makes its Super Bowl debut this year with an spot created by Ryan Reynolds and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Watch it below:
PepsiCo’s new lemon-lime drink Starry has created an ad featuring singer Ice Spice and two animated mascots in a humorous ad about wanting to try other types of drinks.
Plus PepsiCo uses the tagline “having a blast” with actor Aubrey Plaza in a Mountain Dew spot. The ending also has a cameo by one of her “Parks and Recreation” co-stars.
