AdMiration feature: Michelob ULTRA’s “The Superior Match”

For this week’s AdMiration feature, we looked at consumer response to Michelob ULTRA’s “The Superior Match” ad, released ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup, which promotes the brand as the official light beer sponsor of the tournament. 

Read on to get our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection) and learn how their ad was received based on our data.

The ad opens to a trolley rolling a bucket of cold Michelob ULTRA's across the lobby of a luxury hotel as US soccer stars Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson enter from one side of the lobby and Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and Nico Paz from the other. 

As they meet with the ULTRA’s in the middle, Pulisic looks at Messi and says, “Play for the ULTRA’s?” An impromptu soccer match ensues in a chaotic, World Cup-style showdown filled with epic shots, saves and plays from the soccer stars as the hotel guests quickly become spectators, cheering them on.  

The scene suddenly flashes to Billy Bob Thornton in a bathrobe calling down to room service from his hotel suite to check on the Michelob ULTRA’s he ordered some time ago. 

Meanwhile, the game in the lobby continues, with cameos from other stars like legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and US soccer star Alex Morgan. Suddenly, Billy Bob Thornton appears in the lobby (still donning his bathrobe) causing the match to pause, then holds up a bottle of Michelob ULTRA up and says, “ULTRA’s on me.” 

The crowd cheers and the ad ends with the 2026 FIFA World Cup logo and the words “Superior is worth playing for” as a narrator says “Michelob ULTRA: Superior light beer” with all of the athletes raising a bottle to one another.

3 facts

• This is a strong ad from Michelob ULTRA that lands in the top 15% of US ads for ability to drive short-term sales (Sales Impact: 88) and the top 25% for its ability to drive brand equity over the long term (Brand Impact: 77).

• This spot does an excellent job at communicating the message that Michelob ULTRA is a beer worth competing for, which comes across as clear and believable (Clarity: 4.3 vs 4.2 norm, Believability: 4.2 vs 4.1 norm) — ultimately landing the implicit association that it must be delicious if everyone is willing to work so hard to get one.

• The ad also strongly resonates with viewers, keeping them highly engaged throughout the spot with the high-intensity game play and bursts of humor — leaving viewers feeling Love (Love:33% vs. 27% norm) and ultimately more positive toward the brand, resulting in an increased consideration for Michelob ULTRA (Purchase Uplift: 33% vs. 22% norm). 

2 learnings

• Shorter cuts of your ad can make it more digestible for viewers. Michelob ULTRA’s full ad runs at a solid three minutes long — a length that can be trying on the average viewer's attention span today. While it’s a beautifully shot, near-cinematic piece, the brand smartly produced shorter versions of the spot (like the 30 second version we tested) to create more digestible formats for viewers. The trick here is to ensure the full message, story and emotions still come across clearly with so much of the story removed from the original spot — something that Michelob ULTRA nails perfectly here (Key Message Clarity: 4.3 vs 4.2 norm, Believability: 4.2 vs 4.1 norm, Overall Emotion: 65 vs 57 norm).  

• There are ways to feature sports in your advertising to appeal to both fans and non-fans alike. In this case, while this ad is clearly geared towards soccer fans in the lead up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Michelob ULTRA leans on cinematic storytelling to engage those who aren’t die-hard soccer fans as well, and both groups love it (Love among soccer fans: 51% vs. 27% norm, Love overall: 33% vs. 27% norm). For instance, there are several celebrity cameos in the spot that soccer fans would instantly recognize but non-fans wouldn’t, yet the story is woven into such a cinematic, action-packed match that it was difficult for anyone to take their eyes off of it regardless of whether they knew the players (Enjoyment: 4.3 vs. 3.9 norm). Michelob also smartly included a non-soccer celebrity into the mix that many people would instantly recognize, Billy Bob Thornton, who brings bursts of comic relief to the spot. The result is an ad that not only soccer fans love, but one that feels relevant to viewers overall (Relevance: 3.8 vs. 3.7 norm). 

 1 reflection

Are you maintaining your brand's platform, but being sure to present it in fresh new ways? 

In this case, Michelob ULTRA has been positioning itself as a superior light beer worth playing for and as a reward for athleticism. This can be seen across many of their major campaigns, from their 2025 Super Bowl ad with Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara battling it out on pickleball courts to Lewis Pullman and Kurt Russell training on the slopes to become a better skier for the 2026 Winter Olympics and now major soccer athletes playing for a bucket of Michelob ULTRA’s for the FIFA World Cup. 

This is a platform that not only makes sense for the brand, but can be transformed and reimagined in fresh new ways for major moments each year. The best brand platforms, which are meaningful and well executed on, are proven to result in the best compounding effects for brands with both instant recognition of the brand and reinforcement of the brand and what it stands for in people's minds.

Ask yourself: Do you have a brand platform that can serve you over time, media channels and experiences? One that can transcend your message across key moments and help cue your brand? And give you the opportunity to do so in fresh ways?

Michelob ULTRA’s “The Superior Match” ad is part of their parent brand AB InBev’s overarching campaign as the official beer sponsor for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and has released its own large scale, muli-faceted campaign leading up to the tournament. 

Their hero spot “The Superior Match,” created by BBDO New York and directed by Jaron Albertin, brings together Hollywood star power and soccer's biggest icons to prove one thing: Superior is Worth Playing For.

Lionel Messi shared, "This commercial brings the competitive spirit of the FIFA World Cup to life in a fun and unexpected way. I always have a great time on set with Michelob ULTRA, and it was great to share this experience with players from different countries who all love the game and share the same desire to bring energy and excitement to fans everywhere this summer."

Aside from their ad, Michelob ULTRA is rolling out one-of-a-kind experiences, tournament-inspired packaging and merchandise and more. This includes a limited-edition U.S. Soccer Jersey Pack, inspired by the wavy red stripes kit Team USA will wear for home games and promoted by Christian Pulisic.

Another critical (and unique) piece of their campaign is the Superior Player of the Match trophy. This physical trophy — complete with Michelob ULTRA red, white and blue branding with the red ribbon in the center — will be awarded to one standout player (selected by fan vote) after each FIFA World Cup match this year. 

On their campaign, Ricardo Marques, SVP of Marketing for Michelob ULTRA shared, "The FIFA World Cup 2026 is one of those rare moments that unites the world and ignites the passion of the game. 'The Superior Match' captures it all—the energy, the drama, the unpredictability—bringing together Hollywood star power and soccer's biggest icons to prove one thing: Superior is Worth Playing For."

This is a strong ad from Michelob ULTRA that clearly communicates its place as the superior light beer and the official beer sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, landing in the top 15% of US ads for ability to drive short-term sales and the top 25% for its ability to drive brand equity over the long term (Sales Impact: 88, Brand Impact: 77).

With its cinematic visuals and action-packed story, the ad really stands out, allowing it to drive great reach and be noticed and remembered (Distinctiveness: 4.2 vs. 3.7 norm, Claimed Attention 4.2 vs. 3.9 norm, Brand Distinctiveness 4.0 vs. 3.7 norm).  

Because it stands out, captures attention, and tells a clear story, it’s easy for viewers to absorb the key message the brand is trying to convey: That Michelob ULTRA is a superior beer worth playing for.

This message that Michelob ULTRA is worth competing for is seen as clear and believable in the ad (Clarity: 4.3 vs 4.2 norm, Believability: 4.2 vs 4.1 norm), with some describing it as: 

• “It showcased how good the beer would taste because of the way they were competing for it."

• “Michelob ULTRA is worth fighting for.”

• “That Michelob ULTRA is good. Billy Bob Thornton agrees.”

Ultimately the ad shows, rather than tells, that the beer must be delicious, since everyone was willing to work so hard to get one — just what a brand advertising at an event of this scale wants to see. 

This action-packed spot also resonates very well with viewers. They enjoy it (Enjoyment: 4.3 vs. 3.9 norm), find it relevant (Relevance: 3.8 vs. 3.7 norm) and it makes them feel something (Overall Emotion: 65 vs. 57 norm).

And this goes for truly all viewers, not just soccer fans. The ad heavily features famous soccer players, so naturally soccer fans really love it. But it's also so captivating on its own with the cinematic gameplay and humor that it’s general enough for a non-fan to love it, too.

And they do! Overall, people love this ad (Love: 33% vs. 27% norm) — with soccer fans  unsurprisingly loving it the most (Love: 51% vs. 27% norm). The most common likes centered around the people/characters (21%) and celebrities (16%), driven by strong appeal for Lionel Messi and Billy Bob Thornton and the fun cast dynamic. 

Some shared: 

• "I liked watching Messi, the greatest soccer player of all time."

• "I liked the star power like Lionel Messi and actor Billy Bob Thornton."

• "Absolutely loved Messi, Billy Bob Thornton and the USA team playing soccer in the hotel lobby."

• "The star power is great but the humor makes it. Seeing legends like Messi play a chaotic hotel match while Billy Bob stays grumpy is classic."

People also praised the ad’s emotional appeal (9%) and story (7%), describing it as energetic, entertaining, humorous and celebratory around the World Cup. 

Some shared: 

• "​I liked the high-quality production of the ad and the inclusion of Lionel Messi, which made it very engaging. The connection to the FIFA World Cup 2026 was exciting, and the overall atmosphere felt very positive and refreshing."

• "I liked how it paired the high energy soccer tricks with a classy upscale hotel setting making the beer feel athletic."

• "I like how they were playing soccer and cheering people on. It looked so much fun while promoting the beer and being excited for FIFA."

Taking a deeper look into how the ad made people feel, there was a great mix of emotions throughout, with a lot of Love as we mentioned, but also Like, Laughter and some Surprise. 

The biggest laughs in the ad happen when the two sides start playing each other for the ULTRA’s in the hotel lobby, when Billy Bob Thornton is shown on the phone asking where his ULTRAs are, when the Alex Morgan says “hold my beer” and when Billy Bob comes in at the end to say “ULTRA’s on me.” 

But the most important thing about this ad is when the spikes of Love happen — which are mostly around key moments with the product. The biggest spike of Love is at the beginning when the ULTRA’s are wheeled in, followed by when Billy Bob says the ULTRA’s are on him and then when there’s another close up shot of the ULTRA’s as the bellboy is wheeling them around the match action. 

Ultimately this shows that while there was certainly a lot of action in this ad (from the gameplay to the celebrities) all competing for attention, the brand doesn’t get lost in the mix — in fact, what people are responding so positively to is the role of the brand in the story!

All of this ultimately leads to increased consideration for Michelob ULTRA (Purchase Uplift: 33% vs. 22% norm) with an even greater purchase uplift for soccer fans (47% vs. 22% norm) — a huge win for a brand advertising at this scale! 

What a high-energy and captivating spot from Michelob ULTRA that truly shows what they mean by “Superior is worth playing for.” What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

To make sure you never miss one of our AdMiration analyses, subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter.