Anheuser-Busch Leans on Nostalgia for Bud Light Super Bowl Ad

Anheuser-Busch is dipping into Bud Light’s past for the light beer brand’s 2021 Super Bowl ad.

The world’s largest beer manufacturer has enlisted celebrities Post Malone and Cedric the Entertainer, as well as classic characters such as the Bud Knight, Dr. Galazkiewicz, the I Love You Man guy, Bud Bowl bottles, Real Men of Genius singer and more to help pick up an overturned Bud Light truck and fix out of stocks at a convenience store.

The 60-second ad also comes with a teaser trailer.

The ad ushers in the launch of the Bud Light Legends rewards program, which features custom merchandise and opportunities to win event tickets. A-B is jump starting the campaign by engraving the names of the first 10,000 consumers who enlist in the program on the Bud Light brew tanks at the St. Louis brewery.

“Fans have loved and celebrated Bud Light’s role in the Super Bowl for decades, and this year, we’re excited to reunite iconic characters in the most epic way with this new spot,” Bud Light VP of marketing Andy Goeler said in a press release. “Bud Light Legends rewards those that always go the extra mile for Bud Light, the friends that bring the fun wherever they go, and those who understand the importance of good times. Today, we invite our Bud Light Legends to come along with us for the journey.”

A-B, which holds beer category exclusivity over the national ad space during the February 7 game, has invested in 4-minutes of airtime for its Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer brands, as well as regional ads for its Cutwater Spirits and Stella Artois brands. A-B is not running a Budweiser ad for the first time since 1983 as the company is instead reallocating the spend to COVID-19 vaccine awareness efforts.

Other major brewers, including Boston Beer Company, Molson Coors and others have launched regional campaigns.