Dive Brief:
- Bud Light launched its annual NFL campaign with an ad featuring brand partner Peyton Manning, per a press release. “Parachute” will run in 15- and 30-second versions and was created with agency Anomaly.
- The AB InBev beer will bring back its limited-edition team cans, which include a QR code linking to content and giveaways, and run a “Bring Home the Official Tailgate” program including prizes like a home-delivered grill or TV.
- Football season is a crucial period for Bud Light, the longtime beer sponsor of the NFL, as the brand looks to engage with consumers that have continued to shift toward other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Dive Insight:
Bud Light is kicking off the NFL season with traditional advertising, team-branded cans and a host of experiential activations as it looks to regain market share after years of consumer behavior shifts and marketing stumbles that saw it knocked off its perch as the best-selling beer in America.
“Bud Light has a deep history of going to great lengths to give NFL fans epic experiences. In return, we’ve had a front row seat to the great lengths fans go to support their team and do anything to enjoy a cold Bud Light on gameday,” said Todd Allen, senior vice president of marketing for Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch, in a press release.
The beer brand is celebrating fan passion with “Parachute,” a humorous ad featuring Manning as the leader of a skydiving team looking to land on the field during a football game. When the quarterback spots what he thinks is a Bud Light, he calls an audible with his iconic “Omaha!” call — and inadvertently hits a Bud Light billboard and knocks out a tooth.
The “Parachute” spot and other NFL assets will run across linear, streaming, digital and social. The ad was created by Anomaly, the Stagwell agency that also produced the brand's Super Bowl ad, “Big Men on Cul-De-Sac” that featured musician Post Malone and comedian Shane Gillis with a cameo from Manning. The well-received spot helped the beer get back to the basics of its brand identity.
Manning recently featured in "Armchair Quarterback," a short-form sketch that marked a partnership between Bud Light, Netflix and Manning's Omaha Productions media company and demonstrates how brands are exploring other content formats to reach younger consumers.
To drive retail sales, Bud Light has brought back its team-branded cans, including all 27 teams that it sponsors, which features team logos, colors and retro jersey-inspired stripes. QR codes allow consumers to access content and experiences like tailgates, game tickets and merch drops. In kind, Bud Light's "Bring Home the Official Tailgate" program gives fans the chance to win at-home tailgate gear, game tickets, merchandise and NFL Shop gift cards.
The NFL campaign arrives after parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev reported revenue increased by 3% but volumes declined by 1.9% in Q2 2025. Beer volumes were down 2.2% and non-beer volumes were up by 0.3%, with the company's no-alcohol beer portfolio seeing a 33% increase in revenue during the quarter.
