As Anheuser-Busch InBev ended its 33-year exclusivity on alcohol advertising, Super Bowl LVII became a major moment for many liquor brands to debut. However, for many brands, the spotlight also brought the challenge of delivering on their promotional promises.

Despite the pressure, the opportunity was hard to resist, even with this year's 30-second adscosting up to $7 million. New faces included Crown Royal, Rémy Martin, andlong-absent Molson Coors, spanning beer, canned cocktails, and spirits like cognac and whiskey. Heineken, meanwhile,dedicated its ad slot to non-alcoholic beverages。

Despite the exclusivity being lifted, Anheuser-Busch InBev still purchased 3 minutes of national airtime, focusing on promotingBusch Light, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra. Although the game attracted 37 million households, brands had to share the spotlight with other alcohol advertisers, but according to Michelob Ultra's vice president of marketing, Ricardo Marques, this did not change their plans.

"The Super Bowl is the biggest stage in the country. Every brand strives to put its best foot forward, and that has been the case since the game's inception. So our approach has been consistent," Marques told Marketing Dive.

New arena, old tactics

Throughout the broadcast, many advertisersstruggled to live up to the hype, instead resorting to star-studded ads that were safe but lacked storytelling. Alcohol brands were no exception. For example, Rémy Martin's first Super Bowl ad, "Inch by Inch," starred tennis legend Serena Williams, but its references to the film "Any Given Sunday" largely overshadowed the product itself,leaving some viewers confusedabout who the ad was for.

The 60-second cognac spot also seemed to borrow heavily from competitors' strategies, noted Evan Scott Schwartz, partner and head of content at Kingsland.

"[The ad] felt like it was copying the 'winner-takes-all' messaging that Hennessy and Modelo have already used with athletes," Schwartz said.

Notably, Williams also appeared in Michelob Ultra's ad, which was inspired by the classic comedy "Caddyshack," producing two golf-themed spots, one of which was in partnership with Netflix. The campaign also featured numerous celebrity cameos, including Tony Romo, Alex Morgan, Canelo Alvarez, and Nneka Ogwumike. Although the effort seemed focused on golf, its multi-layered content offered broader appeal, according to Michelob's Marques.

"One interesting insight we found is that this ad has broad appeal, extending to those who don't watch golf or don't play golf," he said.

Storytelling becomes the new favorite

In pursuit of differentiation, some alcohol brands invested heavily in narrative. Molson Coors in particular, with its first-ever partnership with DraftKings, relied almost entirely on storytelling, challenging viewers to bet on details of the ad for a chance to share a $500,000 prize pool. The effort aimed to build buzz for its two most successful brands, Coors Light and Miller Lite, but ultimately ended with a cameo from its brand Blue Moon.

"It was an innovative way to pay homage to the end of the exclusivity deal, break the fourth wall, and poke fun at the absurdity with the audience—watching the game for the ads, the exclusivity deal, promoting competing products under the same portfolio," Layla Soboh of creative and media agency 22Squared said in an email to Marketing Dive.

In a more understated showing, Crown Royal enlisted Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for a 60-second ad, showing the star thanking Canada for nurturing countless celebrities and inventions, including the whiskey brand. Similarly, Anheuser-Busch InBev's Bud Light featured actor Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh in a 60-second spot built around the new brand slogan "Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy." The ad, titled "Hold," depicted the couple finding fun while listening to tedious hold music on the phone.

IFrame

"...Other alcohol ads went for high-concept and loud, but this one took a different approach, using a very relatable experience as a platform to convey a simple message: easy to drink," Kingsland's Schwartz said.

Although the ads themselves received mixed reactions, the night reflected a turning point for Super Bowl advertising. The floodgates for alcohol ads have opened, and as other "vice" industries like gambling become more mainstream, the alcohol industry is also poised for growth.

"I think this reflects the deregulation of society as a whole," David Sloan, creative director at McKinney, told Marketing Dive. "These things are becoming more mainstream—gambling is legal in more places, marijuana and CBD are being deregulated in many ways, and I think this reflects where society is."

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Layla Soboh's last name from 22Squared.