Super Bowl XL is to be played in Detroit on February 5 and will be watched by an estimated 90m viewers. As usual, the advertising will be almost as much of an attraction as the football, with brands usually running blockbuster ads created specially for the occasion.
Budweiser has a long history of advertising during the Super Bowl, and since 1989 has been the exclusive beer sponsor of the game. Its ad agencies include DDB and Minneapolis-based Peterson Milla Hooks, which is to create its first ad for the company for Super Bowl.
Industry commentators are eagerly awaiting Budweiser's spots to see what tone they take. In 2005, the company ran ads that were much tamer than the 2004 spots, which had included a farting horse, in the wake of the new mood of conservatism that swept the US in the wake of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction".
It is also the first Super Bowl for Marlene Coulis, vice-president of brand management at the beer division of Anheuser-Busch and the woman who oversees its advertising. She has told reporters that the Super Bowl ads will appeal to women beer drinkers as well as men.
Reports say that advertising for the match, to be screened on ABC, costs $2.5m for a 30-second slot. However, they have a lifespan that goes on beyond the game, with internet polls where people can view and vote for their favourite ads giving them extra publicity. Budweiser is also planning to put its spots online immediately after they have screened.
Other advertisers who are running campaigns include Pepsi, Burger King and the website careerbuilder.com.
Separately, Bud Light is to be the sponsor of a US paper, rock, scissors tournament, offering a grand prize of $50,000.
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