Budweiser Is Forgoing This Year’s Super Bowl Ad—and Putting the Money Towards COVID Aid
There is going to be a noticeable silence during this year's Super Bowl. As two teams battle it out in these strange COVID-times, and millions of Americans feast on wings and dip in isolation, there will be no sound of hooves on the pavement. The Budweiser Clydesdales will be stabled. Actually, there will be no Budweiser of any kind at all.
For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser will forego running a Super Bowl commercial during game time. That might've seemed strange if everything hadn't seemed strange in the past year. But unlike the birthdays that felt like they didn't actually happen and the weddings that were rescheduled, there's at least a more heartening reason behind its absence. Budweiser pulled its always-highly-anticipated ad from the game because, instead of dumping millions of dollars into an ad spot, the beer brand is donating its money toward COVID-19 vaccine awareness.
Budweiser announced Monday it will take a percentage of the money that would have gone to Super Bowl airtime and donate it to Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s Vaccine Education Initiative. But, a portion of that Super Bowl budget has already gone into another ad, of sorts—a short film highlighting the frontline and healthcare workers of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the FDA-approved vaccine they received. It will run digitally.
Narrated by Parks and Recreation's Rashida Jones, known for her ability to put a face to important causes ranging from voter suppression to police brutality, the purpose of "Bigger Picture" is to dissuade anxiety surrounding the vaccine. And the film is just the first phase of Budweiser's COVID awareness plan, which will continue through 2021 as the vaccine rolls out, however bumpily.
Of course, you can go cynical about the whole thing—how much does a brand's Super Bowl ad (or lack thereof) really matter? But that's underestimating the power of Super Bowl commercial culture. During the week of Super Bowl 2020, "Budweiser" saw a 117-percent jump in Google searches. The company has, in a lot of ways, been responsible for creating buzz around the Big Game's commercial spots for years. A simple search for "Budweiser Super Bowl commercial" doesn't just bring up one or two good YouTube videos; it renders list after list of Budweiser ads, ranked. It's a legacy that stretches across decades. The commercial spot is the moment, and this year the brand is putting it aside.
Other brands have sought the right tone for the time. McDonald's and Burger King ran ads that promoted staying at home and... ordering fast food with a shelf-life of approximately 18 minutes delivered to you. That messaging read something akin to: We know you're at home, but you gotta keep these franchises afloat. You're lovin' it!
Instead, Budweiser is testing the power of absence. It's like having a seat open at the dinner table; someone is going to notice. That's the point. After almost 11 months of quarantine and half-filled stadiums and staggering death tolls, Budweiser will highlight that things aren't right yet. And it's sad Budweiser needs to step into that role, but then again, Elvis got the damn polio vaccine on national TV just so Americans wouldn't bug out. We've always been an anxious, untrusting people, so America's beer is showing up to say: We see you, but also, get this vaccine so we can go back to the bar.
In the meantime, Budweiser doesn't want consumers to feel too distanced from their beer, so it's also offering a free beer to anyone who wants it. The coupon exists at ABeerOnBud.com, which prompts people to enjoy the drink at home, with the hope of "bringing Buds back together safely one day soon." Clever.
This all might still read as an ad campaign, but at least it's for a cause greater than getting lukewarm fries delivered via Uber Eats. Budweiser turned the light onto the regular people who drink its product, and there's something noble about that, you know? The beer giant will capture the nation's attention on Super Bowl Sunday, whether it's in attendance or not.
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