Michelob ULTRA has kicked off a massive campaign for the Super Bowl, which features two golf-themed ads. The first, starring Tony Romo, Canelo Alvarez, Brian Cox and Serena Williams, is inspired by Caddyshack for a new generation of players.
“Michelob Ultra’s point of view is that it’s only worth it if you enjoy it,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president of marketing at Michelob ULTRA. “We were inspired by the story of this dusty old golf club that was very shaken up by new members who want to bring the fun and the joy into the fold. It is a parallel to the Caddyshack story – the inspiration for Michelob Ultra being a sponsor of the PGA Tour for 20+ years – rewritten for today’s day and age.”
The second ad, a :30 second spot, includes partnerships with Netflix, Instacart and golf apparel brand Devereux Golf, in an integrated campaign that will continue throughout the year. The spot promotes Netflix’s new golf show Full Swing and allows consumers to shop for the beer on Instacart.
Ahead of game day, the beer brand has released a special edition golf pack with specially designed cans featuring a QR code. The ad ends on the can with the QR code, which viewers can scan. Consumers can scan the code to enter for a promotion to access PGA courses, lessons with golf pros, ultra golf merch and a grand prize trip of a lifetime to the PGA majors as a VIP. It is also a shoppable QR code that takes shoppers to a fully customized Michelob Ultra experience on the Instacart shopping cart, where users can buy Michelob Ultra within the Instacart. “It is a simple way to tap into something that people are already doing, which is ordering beer online,” said Marques. “But doing it with a partner and creating an experience that makes the whole shopping journey seamless.”
Additionally, the QR code gives users the ability to watch the first episode of Full Swing. “The show will be premiered through the Michelob Ultra can,” said Marques. “If you scan our Michelob Ultra can, you can access Episode One of the show exclusively for a period of 24 hours on our Michelob Ultra website. It’s the first time that Netflix does something like this. Thematically this is beautifully aligned with our entire campaign, and also gives something of added value to our audience, which is exclusive access to this amazing show.”
The Phoenix Open is actually taking place during Super Bowl weekend in the same town as the NFL game. Netflix and Michelob Ultra will be hosting an event on the ground in Phoenix where they will essentially bring the spot to life in the real world. “Ryan Cox and Serena Williams will be battling it out on the golf course in a final showdown at Scottsdale, Top Golf,” added Marques. “It will be a fantastic evening, not only because we’ll have the final chapter of the spot in real life, but then also because we have the premiere of the Netflix show taking place.”
Beyond the partnerships, the campaign also supports the brand’s commitment to promoting visibility for women in sports. Two years ago, Michelob Ultra dedicated $100 million, over a period of five years, to this particular cause. “It’s no coincidence that when you see the roster of talent that we have for Super Bowl again this year, you see equal representation, not only in front of the camera, but also behind the camera, where we have Rachel Morrison, the amazing cinematographer Oscar-nominated director and cinematographer who shot our spot last year as well,” said Marques. “That’s one of the important parts of our plan, staying true and committed to delivering what we pledged to do a couple of years ago.”
Michelob Ultra is one of the fastest growing brands in the country, with a particularly developed audience in the South and South East regions. The idea behind the Super Bowl ad buy is to reach an even wider audience. “We still have a massive runway, we’re just getting started,” explained Marques. “We’re the second largest brand in the country today by volume, but we still have opportunity in terms of reaching other parts of the country. The Super Bowl is a perfect stage to bring this brand to a wider audience throughout the country. When we look at the spot, there’s something there for everybody.”
