Anheuser-Busch InBev pulled out all the stops for its Shock Top Beer’s appearance during what’s likely to be the most-watched event of the year. In what was billed as the “greatest Super Bowl commercial of all time” by the Belgian beer conglomerate, a 90-second teaser released before the game features HBO’s “Silicon Valley” star T.J. Miller in conversation with an animated version of the brand’s orange-wedge logo, known as Wedgehead, voiced by comedian Martin Montana. Both the teaser and the 30-second spot were created by Toronto ad agency Anomaly. “We’re a brand dedicated to living life unfiltered, so you can be sure to expect some highly unfiltered commentary and lots of laughs,” Shock Top Vice President Jake Kirsch told the Business Journal. “California is our brand’s spiritual home, so it’s very fitting that we’ll be part of Super Bowl 50 as it kicks off in the Bay Area.” Launched in 2006, the Belgian white beer, which is brewed at Anheuser-Busch’s Van Nuys facility, experienced great initial success but recently has struggled to maintain growth. Anheuser-Busch is anticipating increased exposure for the Shock Top brand with this Super Bowl appearance, which will hopefully translate into sales. As the official beer sponsor of the Super Bowl for 28 straight years, Anheuser-Busch has an exclusivity agreement with the National Football League, which is why only its beers are advertised during the game. For this year’s matchup, the company purchased three full minutes of advertising, including a spot right after kickoff. The going rate for ads this year was $5 million for 30 seconds, and analysts anticipated more than 115 million viewers on Super Bowl Sunday, equating to approximately $43 per 1,000 people, a standard audience measure in the ad industry. “Some studies indicate that almost 50 percent of viewers watch the Super Bowl mainly for the battle of the commercials – the real game within the game,” said Abhi Biswas, a marketing professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. While the big event presents an opportunity for advertisers to reach a wide audience with one commercial, the high cost can have repercussions. “If your commercial ends in the bottom, that doesn’t reflect well for the brand or the agency that created it,” said Robert Meeds, a communications professor at Cal State Fullerton. “Building awareness could be a valid goal, but the flipside could be they could do something else with those $5 million to enhance their brand in other ways.” – Stephanie Henkel
