Behind the Bud Light Genie’s Super Bowl Debut

Bud Light took to the biggest stage in advertising at the weekend: the Super Bowl. In a return to true big game-style, the AB inBev brand packed its ad with familiar faces, action and special effects, bringing back Post Malone for a third year running, as well as introducing a new character: the Bud Light Genie. 

The ‘Easy Night Out’ spot, directed by MJZ’s Craig Gillespie, also stars the UFC’s Dana White and football legend Peyton Manning, expanding the brewing company’s 'Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy' platform. The film kicked off a series of activations around the game of games as well, including an intimate tour with artists Zach Bryan and Leon Bridges, not to mention the ‘Easy Wishes’ sweepstakes, offering football fans a chance to win a Las Vegas getaway, beer money and more.  

To discuss the brand’s 40-year connection with the Super Bowl and how this year’s campaign came to be, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Todd Allen, VP of marketing for Bud Light.

LBB> Bud Light is known for its comedic marketing and strong brand partners - perhaps most notably, Post Malone. Does this make the Super Bowl the ideal brief for a Bud Light campaign?

Todd> Bud Light has had a notable presence at the Super Bowl since 1983. Our long-standing partnership with the NFL is one of the most iconic relationships in sports and marketing, and our greatest unlock to bringing fans closer to the experiences they love. The Super Bowl – with 100 million people tuning in – has been the pinnacle of that for us for nearly four decades. When it comes to our brand partnerships for ‘Easy Night Out’ it is important to us to work with talent that connect to our fan-centric platforms across sports, music and entertainment, and partners who genuinely love the Bud Light brand. 

LBB> How closely did you work with the agency on the creative? The spot is very ambitious and large-scale, what were some of the key things you included in the agency’s brief?

Todd> We kicked off our creative process months in advance of the Super Bowl with a fully integrated team, including our creative agency Anomaly, who we walked arm-in-arm with every step of the way. We focused on a few fundamentals from the beginning, starting with keeping fans at the centre of everything Bud Light does – every creative decision came back to how it would connect with our fans. 

Second, humour. Humour has always been at the heart of the Bud Light brand, so finding the right tone and creative to match was crucial. And lastly, talent. We are so lucky to have played a central role in sports, music and entertainment for over four decades. This means we’ve made a lot of friends along the way, and it was important to us to work with talent that connect to these fan-centric platforms - and who genuinely love the Bud Light brand. 

LBB> The spot has everything, from a T-Rex to a genie, the UFC’s Dana White, Peyton Manning and more - what core messaging unites all these elements for this year’s big game?

Todd> The spot is centred around a universal truth: A night out with friends should always be easy. Enter, the Bud Light Genie, a representation of the easy enjoyment Bud Light delivers, bringing it to life on screen in epic proportions. 

LBB> What is your favourite moment from the spot, and why?

Todd> One of the most exciting moments for the brand is when the audience gets to meet our new Bud Light Genie for the first time after being unleashed from the bottle. From there, the spot centres around high-energy social moments in a location that is core to our brand and the heartbeat of our business: the local bar. The Bud Light Genie grants our everyday heroes ‘easy wishes,’ including a stretch DeLorean ride to the bar where Bud Lights magically appear in-hand, Peyton Manning instantly appearing as your BFF, front and centre access at a UFC weigh-in and, of course, a T-rex marching through the yard as Posty performs live.

LBB> How does this film build from your existing marketing and brand messaging? What are some of your key brand messages and visuals that you’re driving with in 2024?

Todd> During last year’s Super Bowl, we introduced a new equity platform ‘Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy’ and throughout last year, we built on the platform with our summer campaign, ‘Easy to Summer’, 23-24 NFL season kickoff campaign ‘Easy to Sunday’, NFL Playoff campaign ‘Easy Rounds’ and more. ‘Easy Night Out’ ushers the brand into year two of the platform and introduces the Bud Light Genie to the Bud Light universe as the embodiment of easy enjoyment. 

Throughout 2024, Bud Light will be showing up at the centre of the best moments in music, sports, and entertainment, and continue to deliver easy enjoyment across our creative, our partnerships, and our fan-first experiences

LBB> How else did Bud Light show up in and around the Super Bowl this year?

Todd> To kick off the Super Bowl LVIII weekend celebrations, we brought our Bud Light Backyard Tour to Las Vegas in an intimate 3,000-person venue to give fans a performance from their favourite artists, Zach Bryan and Leon Bridges. 

We also teamed up with the team behind the Las Vegas Sphere, to create custom, built-from-the-ground-up assets to display throughout the week leading up to Super Bowl through Super Bowl Sunday. 

Now our Super Bowl commercial is live, the magic doesn’t stop there. Our Bud Light Genie will grant ‘Easy Wishes’ to fans through Facebook Messenger all year long, unlocking epic experiences and providing unparalleled access to the moments our fans care most about. From a chance to win an epic Las Vegas getaway for your squad to tickets and event access spanning College March hoops, UFC, NFL and more - The Bud Light Genie will make every moment easier to enjoy. The Bud Light Backyard Tour will also continue to show up throughout the summer at the biggest music festivals in the country, including Stagecoach, CMA Fest, and Lollapalooza.