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Bud Light has kicked off the National Football League (NFL)’s upcoming season with an ad starring real fans, as it tries to win back beer drinkers following its controversy with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier this year.
The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand has been a longtime sponsor of the NFL, but this season, it is facing greater scrutiny amid the ongoing fallout from its partnership with Mulvaney. Earlier this month, the brewer reported that its second-quarter revenue in the U.S.–its largest market–fell 10.5%, primarily due to a conservative-led boycott of Bud Light.
For the NFL’s 2023-2024 season, Bud Light’s new ad campaign celebrates one of the country’s most beloved traditions. “Easy to Sunday” shows the Sunday rituals of real football fans across the country, from a New York Giants devotee who has been a season ticket member for 63 years and is known for his gameday mussels, to a military veteran who never missed a Philadelphia Eagles game even when she was deployed.
The spot is set to a cover of Etta James’ classic song “Sunday Kind of Love,” recorded by husband-and-wife country duo The War and Treaty.
It continues Bud Light’s “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” platform, which debuted during this year’s Super Bowl from recently appointed agency of record, Anomaly.
However, AB InBev did not work with Anomaly on this latest ad and instead turned to The Martin Agency, which it appointed last year to work on brand extensions such as Bud Light Seltzer and Bud Light Next.
Along with the commercial, which will run in 60-, 30- and 15-second formats, Bud Light is hosting a promotional sweepstakes to give away more than 2,000 subscriptions to NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and e-gift cards for merchandise. It has also brought back its limited-edition NFL-themed packaging, featuring logos and player illustrations from 23 teams.
“We know for NFL fans Sunday has become synonymous not only with game day, but also with time-honored traditions,” Todd Allen, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, said in a statement. “Our new ‘Easy to Sunday’ campaign celebrates and honors those real Sunday moments that bring NFL fans across the country closer to their friends, their family and their local communities—and we are so proud to play a role in as a brand.”
Trying to win back beer drinkers
Bud Light’s trouble began brewing in April, when the brand partnered with Mulvaney on a sponsored Instagram post. The video caused an uproar among conservative consumers, who began boycotting the beer.