How staying true to each brand helps Anheuser-Busch win the big game

Anheuser-Busch has been the Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL for over 20 years, and it has over 50 years of experience advertising in the Super Bowl! In fact, this year it is the Super Bowl’s biggest advertiser across categories — with 2.5 minutes of ads planned for the big game across three of its beer brands (Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob ULTRA). 

So with all that experience under the company’s belt, there’s probably something other Super Bowl advertisers can learn from, right? 

Today, let’s focus on one key thing Anheuser-Busch does very well each year: seamlessly differentiating all of its brands and executing consistently in those areas each year. Let’s take a closer look at this year’s Anheuser-Busch Super Bowl ads and what they tell us about each brand’s personality.

As a brand, Budweiser is traditional, authentic and emotionally grounded. The brand’s ads lean heavily into the brand’s longevity and longstanding role in American culture. 

And you can plainly see that in this year’s Super Bowl ad. “American Icons” follows a colt who discovers a baby bird stranded in the rain. The two become fast friends, with the little bird riding on the colt's back. After some time we see the young bird spread its wings to reveal it’s a bald eagle, with an epic shot of its broad wings soaring above the now fully grown Clydesdale — bringing a tear to a nearby farmer’s eye.

This ad feels so similar to last year’s Budweiser ad in the Super Bowl. In “First Delivery,” a young Clydesdale — deemed too small to participate in a Budweiser delivery — rescues a loose keg and proves his worth.

Notice how the music and the settings of both ads feel similar to each other. They have the same tone and feel like they exist in the same world. And the vibe feels nostalgic and totally American. The addition of the bald eagle this year only elevates that all-American vibe! 

This is all consistent with what Anheuser-Busch says it’s trying to do with its Budweiser Super Bowl ads: 

This year, Budweiser is returning to the Super Bowl with a spot that honors its longstanding – and ongoing – legacy in American culture. To celebrate the brand’s milestone 150th anniversary and America’s 250th birthday, Budweiser will deliver an empowering, heartfelt national commercial that captures how its beer is not only made in America; it’s made of America. 

“Made of America” is certainly what we’d say both of these Super Bowl ads evoke! 

We consistently see Budweiser deliver some of the best ads of the Super Bowl. “First Delivery” was the most distinctive ad from last year’s big game and “American Icons” is poised to be one of the most loved this year.

Brand recall dipped a bit for Budweiser between this year’s ad and last year's — and that likely comes down to the role of the beer. “First Delivery” features the colt delivering a keg of beer, while “American Icons” is a bit more removed from the beer itself.

While Budweiser is heartfelt, nostalgic and All-American, Bud Light is light and funny — it's the brand with a fun and social vibe. 

We see that clearly in this year’s Super Bowl ad. “Keg” features celebrities Peyton Manning, Post Malone and Shane Gillis — just like last year. The three of them are attending an outdoor wedding when a keg of Bud Light falls down a hill. The bride, groom and all the wedding guests tumble down the hill in slow motion while “I Will Always Love You” plays. Thankfully, they rescue the keg (which was never in any actual danger) so they can all celebrate with a Bud Light.

Last year’s ad featured Post Malone and Shane Gillis rescuing a “lame party.” They bust down a fence as they ride over on a lawn mower, with leaf blowers in hand — which they use to shoot cans of Bud Light with invites on them to neighbors. Neighbors flock over, making the party a huge success, with Peyton Manning joining in the fun.

Both these ads feature the same three famous men in physical, slapstick-style comedic situations. They’re centered around social occasions — with the brand there to kickstart the party. 

This ties in perfectly with what the company describes about the brand’s Super Bowl presence: “Bud Light returns to the Super Bowl stage, showcasing the brand’s iconic humor and celebrity partners who display their willingness to do anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light.”

We see that Bud Light Super Bowl ads tend to be very distinctive and have high brand recall. And of course, they’re very funny! And this year did not disappoint in any of those areas. 

Finally, Michelob ULTRA is yet another thing altogether. While Bud Light is all about social occasions, Michelob ULTRA is more about an active lifestyle — with the beer as a reward for athleticism or hard work.  

This year’s Super Bowl ad, “The ULTRA Instructor,” is themed to tie into this year’s Winter Olympics. It follows a group of skiers (including Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim and Olympian and NHL champion T. J. Oshie) and their novice friend (actor Lewis Pullman), who has to buy everyone a round of Michelob ULTRAs every time he’s the last down the mountain — which is every time. But then Kurt Russell trains him in the ways of skiing in a hilarious montage, set to the tune “Eye of the Tiger” — ending in a successful run down the mountain and a round of Michelob ULTRAs on Kurt. 

Compare this to last year’s ad, “The ULTRA Hustle.” Actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara (who we’re devastated to hear passed away last week) starred as pickleball court “hustlers” that challenge others (including NFL‘s Randy Moss, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser and WNBA Champion Sabrina Ionescu) to competitive games of pickleball for Michelob ULTRA.

Notice the similarities here too. They both feature a combination of sports, well-known and widely loved celebrities and Michelob ULTRA as a reward for hard work and a key part of the after-game rituals among friends.  

Anheuser-Busch says of the brand, “For 20+ years, Michelob ULTRA, America’s #1 top-selling and fastest-growing beer, has been synonymous with championing an active lifestyle and encouraging social athletes to give it their all – whether it’s their first time on the slopes or they’re competing for Olympic gold.”

That’s what we see in both those ads! 

And we love to see the consistency in execution from 2025 to 2026. They’re both very distinctive ads with high brand recall. And the celebrities from both ads are equally well loved!

While both ads feel very similar, they’re also both fun and tell their own story with universally loved actors.

What’s notable about Anheuser-Busch’s approach to the Super Bowl is that it doesn’t rely on stunts or anything too over-the-top or ridiculous to get attention. Instead, it consistently delivers on a clear strategy for each of these three brands.

The result is that while the parent company has multiple brands from the same category advertising during one big game of football, audiences are unlikely to confuse them. 

As a viewer, it’s hard to mistake this year’s Bud Light ad (which features a whole wedding full of people tumbling down a hill in slow motion) for a Budweiser ad, that wouldn’t make any sense! After years of consistency, we all know what Budweiser ads feel like — and it’s totally different from what a Bud Light ad feels like. 

It proves the power of unwavering consistency. You don’t get to Anheuser-Busch’s level by changing up your strategy every year. You get to it by patiently building brands over the years with consistent execution. 

But it’s not just about consistency, it’s also important to keep things fresh. What each of these three brands is doing today isn’t exactly what they were doing even just a few years ago. Each brand has kept its spirit and personality alive while changing things up to evolve with the times. Because doing the same thing over and over again can start to feel stale. It’s critical to figure out which elements to keep and which to evolve so that the brands stay relevant. 

And that’s why we’re still impressed with Anheuser-Busch’s presence in the Super Bowl, even after over 50 years!

It’s hard enough to get one Super Bowl ad right, but Anheuser-Busch got three right this year! 

Which Super Bowl ads are your favorite so far this year?  Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the ad on LinkedIn.

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