#Bud Light Bets That Shane Gillis, Post Malone and Peyton Manning Can Give It a Super Bowl Win

Bud Light’s big plan to break out during this year’s Super Bowl? Turn comedian Shane Gillis, Post Malone and Peyton Manning into the coolest suburban dads on planet earth: The BMOCs (Big Men on Cul-De-Sac).

The Anheuser-Busch brand has been a Super Bowl staple going back decades, usually leaning on humor to stand out during the busiest advertising day of the year.

“It’s my favorite time of year,” says Todd Allen, senior VP of marketing for Bud Light, adding that the hope was to build some relatability with the over-the-top characters that Gillis, Malone and Manning are portraying in the spot. “We want the fans to be front and center in everything that we do, so it needs to resonate with them, needs to entertain them, needs to excite them. And we’re hoping our fans can see themselves in those neighborhoods across the America, all those cul-de-sacs.”

Of course, your suburban neighbors probably aren’t blasting Bud Lights out into the neighborhood with leaf blowers that double as t-shirt cannons, or using a mower that doubles as a meat smoker. They might be talking about fishing or colonoscopies while sitting on folding chairs, however (yes, this may be the first Super Bowl ad to open with a colonoscopy reference).

“Humor has been a staple for Bud Light advertising for years, and there’s no bigger stage to make people laugh than the Super Bowl, so we really wanted to lean in to the humor, and I think we’ve landed that with our spot this year,” Allen says.

Malone, Gillis and Manning are all Bud Light veterans, with Malone and Manning returning after last year’s Super Bowl spot, and Gillis joining the brand late last year.

“I think first and foremost they need to be fans of the brand, and that’s when you get the most authentic connection and partnership, So all three guys are huge fans of Bud Light,” Allen says, adding that the beer brand’s relationship to the NFL (where Manning still holds influence), college football (where Gillis is a vocal fan) and country music (where Malone is a superstar) all factored in to their casting choice. “These guys are incredible partners, they’re fans, and they fit with what our our fans and drinkers want and expect from Bud Light on all their passion points and occasions as well.”

But the spot also comes as Bud Light is still trying to engineer a comeback. While just a few years ago it was the undisputed best-selling beer brand in the country on draft and in stores, in 2023 the brand saw its sales decline double digits and its lead slip following an influencer-marketing campaign that included transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney (the company says that it is still the number 1 beer brand in volume of sales).

When asked how the commercial fits into Bud Light’s plan to return to growth, Allen reiterated that the brand is seeking to appeal to as broad an audience as possible with the spot.

“We’re for all 21 plus Americans, and we connect with millions of people across the country, from stadiums to bars to at home to venues across this country,” he said. “So we really hope this year’s commercial will continue to resonate with NFL fans across the country. When you think about the stage of the Super Bowl, the tie-in to the NFL, the setting of the neighborhood backyard, it’s just got all the ingredients to make our fans laugh and and hopefully thirsty for for a Bud Light.”

And, as has become de rigueur for Super Bowl advertisers, Bud Light will bring its campaign into the real world too. Bud Light will have an Instagram contest based on its “BMOC” theme, with the winner getting cash and Bud Light gear for a watch party, and Malone will be on the ground in New Orleans for a pre-Super Bowl concert hosted by the brand.

“Every creative decision we do comes down to what’s going to excite our fans, what’s going to resonate with them,” Allen sayd. “We want to make sure we continue to reinforce that with our drinkers. But I think this year is leaning into the humor that has made Bud Light so iconic for so many years, and then delivering it in that right setting, in those backyards and cul-de-sacs around the country.”