ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch is using humor to push leading brands Bud Light and Budweiser during the upcoming Super Bowl.
Its nine commercials range from scientists turning to Bud Light as they worry about an Earth-bound asteroid, to a small town working to rescue a beer truck, to a spoof of popular TV series "Lost."
The brewer remains a big spender on Super Bowl commercials, buying up five precious, pricey ad minutes for the Sunday football game, at the high end of its usual buy.
Television advertising is never more scrutinized than during the Super Bowl. The commercials are part of the game's attraction, helping explain why a 30-second spot goes for an estimated $2.5 million. Last year, 100 million people watched the game, according to Nielsen. Millions more watched the commercials online. And people love to talk about - and vote on - the best Super Bowl commercials. It's even noted when longtime advertisers drop out, which Pepsi, General Motors and Federal Express all did this year.
Controversy is part of the formula, too, from Go Daddy's racy commercials to an anti-abortion ad featuring college football star TimTebow that is expected to run during this year's game.
This year's Anheuser-Busch commercials emphasize humor, a reaction to consumers worrying about the economic slump and glum news overseas, said KeithLevy, marketing vice president for the St. Louis-based subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. "There's a lot of heaviness pressing down on their lives. I think they want a departure from that. They want to laugh. They want to have fun."
The Bud Light commercials, all produced by St. Louis ad agency Cannonball, take aim at being funny. In one spot, expected to run during the third quarter, a husband on his way to play softball interrupts his wife's book club when he sees Bud Light is being served. In another commercial, running during the first quarter, friends are amazed by a house built of blue Bud Light cans.
Bob Horowitz, creator and producer of the annual show "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials," said humor tends to generate more buzz.
"Funny equals water cooler," Horowitz said.
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