As Super Bowl commercials increase in popularity in the media over the years, there’s always an annual debate of which companies reigned supreme with their marketing. Typically, no one company consistently delivers at the top, but there is a product that continues to make an impact – beer. Yes, you heard me. Beer. The drink of sports (unofficial, but basically) and Ireland has a multitude of companies that try to feign their way to the “Best Super Bowl Commercials” list the following week. These adverts have certainly been around longer than you’d think – dating all the way back to 1969 with Schlitz (“When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer”).

Since then, they have gone from Will Ferrell walking in a field of flowers, popularizing phrases like “whassup?”, and frogs talking. Random, yes, but they certainly worked, as they infiltrated pop culture and became the topic of parodies for years to come. Sometimes, the best adverts are original and became pop culture. Others, on the other hand, ride off of current events and then become pop culture themselves – like Bud Light’s Bud Knight.

“Dilly, dilly.” Ring a bell? The Bud Knight’s popular phrase landed itself trending on Twitter, onto t-shirts and apparel, and even into wedding speeches. The commercial, phrase, and character launched an annual advert campaign specifically for the Super Bowl. Bud Light’s brilliance came when they began to release sneak peaks of the Knight in the weeks prior to the Super Bowl. They even began to make multiple commercials, insisting viewers to go onto their website to see what happens next. Another brilliant strategy was the character himself – and that perfect timing. Coming at a time when the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones was a cultural phenomenon in itself – garnering over 16 million viewers in 2017, the year the Bud Knight made his debut.

In 2021, the cost for 30 seconds of airtime is over $5 million. So, who exactly in the beer category should you look out for? Well, Budweiser has made the ultimate decision to drop out this year along with Coke & Pepsi, giving room for other brands to shine. Bud Light has announced two commercials – one advertising their beer (a world without Bud Light?) and another for their lemonade hard seltzers (when life gives you lemons… 2020). Sam Adams has also stepped up to deliver one where horses destroy Boston. Make sure to tune in on Sunday, February 7^th to check these out and look out for any other brands to stay in the beer loop!

Curious about what other ads to expect this year? Check out the full rundown of the most anticipated Super Bowl LV commercials here.

What about controversial ads of the year? We’ve got you covered, right here.

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