Sarah McLachlan appears in Bush Light's 2023 Super Bowl ad.
Recently, Busch Light has been a striking success story within the beer category, experiencing continued growth and increasing market share. According to IRI, the brand grew 27% between 2017 and 2021, and sales are still increasing. While the share increase may been aided by high inflation and Busch’s history as a value brand, it is clear that sound, creative marketing has been the major reason for the brand’s good fortune. This year’s Super Bowl ad for the brand continues down this using a combination of clever creative, star power (in the form of Sarah McLachlan); and a brand character to develop a humorous spot that simultaneously reinforces the brand’s positioning.
The spot, titled “Survival” begins with the rugged Busch Guy showing a printed copy of “The Busch Guide to Cold and Smooth Survival Skills.” Set in the wilderness against a backdrop of beautiful mountains and trees, Busch Guy instructs that three things are required in the great outdoors, “food, drink (a 6 pack of cold Busch Light is shown) and shelter.” At this point, McLachlan appears and introduces herself with her classic hit Angel playing in the background and delivers a “save the animals” pitch reminiscent of her well known 2007 ad for the ASPCA. The nonplussed Busch Guy replies, “Wrong shelter Sarah,” and informs her that it is a wolf standing next to her. The ad ends with McLachlan looking bemused and Busch’s “Head for the Mountains” slogan on screen.
McLachlan, who has sold in excess of 40 million albums, told me that she was happy to be featured in the ad referring to Busch as “an iconic American brand.” She appreciates the humorous play on her ASPCA ad, which also featured Angel, and has been credited with raising $30 million for the organization, stating, “I love that they asked me to participate in the ad particularly for the opportunity to spoof the ASPCA ad, a cause which is very close to my heart.”
McLachlan, who comes across as a good sport in the ad, also appreciates Anheuser Busch’s corporate giving. “They’re giving to One Tree Planted which is a great environmental organization which helps all of us and animals in particular,” she says,, “I love that commitment.” She says that filming the ad, on location at a park in British Columbia in the winter under rainy conditions, was fun due to the cast and crew being in good spirits (and notes the wolf in the ad is real).
Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing at Anheuser-Busch indicates that the ad’s outdoor theme was intentionally designed to appeal to the target market. “Our fans love the great outdoors (especially with an ice-cold Busch Light in hand!),” she says, “so we wanted to highlight the thrill of the wilderness and continue our streak of humorous campaigns within the biggest game of the year. After watching our Super Bowl spot, we hope viewers have a genuine laugh while enjoying the game and see Busch Light as a cold, smooth necessity in the great outdoors.”
The ad’s humor comes through and, based on social media reaction thus far, hits the mark with the target audience. In addition to being humorous, the brand’s position is well reinforced by the outdoor/survival theme and effective use of the brand character. The spot will provide even wider exposure and recognition for the Busch Guy brand character, played by actor Gerald Downey.
Stowe indicates that Busch Guy is here to stay, stating, ““Busch Guy embodies the brand and is certainly here to stay. From helping us hire our Chief Tasting Officer to showing up at NASCAR races to marrying a Busch-loving couple, he’s beloved by fans and will continue to show up in our campaigns with a cold Busch Light in hand. In fact, throughout the year we’ll be revealing more ads featuring our flannel-clad, outdoorsy mascot, Busch Guy, and his full ‘Busch Guide,’ a rugged resource filled with “cold and smooth survival skills” including lessons that focus on different areas of outdoors preparedness including signaling for help, facing a black bear, avoiding poison ivy and more.”
The current upswing in Busch Light’’s fortunes is a lesson in what effective marketing can do. Strategies such introducing a seasonal apple flavor and offering special packaging for hunting season, supporting farmers, and other initiatives have been effective. The use of social media influences including on Tik Tok as well as partnerships with everyone from John Deere to Kenny G, to the Country Music Association have also resonated with the target market. The “Survival” spot and “Busch Guide” campaign should further contribute to the brand’s success.
