A-B InBev during Fox' broadcast of Super Bowl LI will promote its Busch brand, which has "never before run a Super Bowl ad," according to E.J. Schultz of AD AGE. The ad "will be handled by Deutsch New York, which won the account earlier this year." Highlighting an "economy brand in the game is an unusual move for the brewer, which typically features mainstream brands like Budweiser and Bud Light, or premium offerings such as Shock Top." However, Busch's appearance is the latest in an "emerging marketing battle among lower-priced brews as brewers seek to boost overall beer volume by spending more behind economy brands." A-B InBev "has not revealed the remainder of its Super Bowl ad lineup," though Bud and Bud Light "will almost certainly get slots, if recent history is any indication" (ADAGE.com, 12/6).
MAKING HIS PLEA: The GLOBE & MAIL's Laura Stone reported NFL Canada Managing Dir David Thomson last month sent a letter to Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton "making the case for keeping Canadian commercials" in the Super Bowl LI broadcast on CTV. Thomson in the letter asked the government to "stop the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's order to prohibit simultaneous substitution during the Super Bowl, calling it 'arbitrary and discriminatory.'" Stone noted the practice of simultaneous substitution "ensures local Canadian television stations run Canadian advertisements -- not the flashy American ones" (THEGLOBEANDMAIL.com, 12/6).
