Budweiser has not run an anti-drunk driving ad during the Super Bowl since 2005 but it has put its all behind this one. The ad itself, Simply Put by Anomaly, is a harangue by Helen Mirren. Behind it is a Twitter campaign, #GiveADamn, and the mobile site, , that shows people in the US the most convenient transport home based on their locations – from taxis to car services. Through a partnership with Uber and Lyft, the site will offer discount codes for rides home after the Super Bowl.
If you’re paying attention, the Super Bowl, packs a punch. Helen Mirren condemns drunk drivers with comments like, “If you drive drunk, you, simply put, are a short-sighted, utterly useless, oxygen-wasting, human form of pollution — a Darwin‐award deserving, selfish coward,” and the motto, “Don’t be a pillock.”
The 30 second Super Bowl ad relies on Mirren’s forthrightness to hold its audience. The ad is just the actress sitting at a table with a burger and a Bud. It is competing with a lot of noisy rival ads who are not advocating sensible behaviour in an environment that’s all about fun.
Brian Perkins, vice president, Budweiser, explained the brand’s position, “We can all agree that driving drunk is a very bad idea, yet people still do it. If we’re able to make one person think twice and not get behind the wheel, then this campaign has done its job. We care about our consumers, and we wanted to address the issue differently than anyone ever has before, in an effort to start as many conversations as possible and get people to make a plan.”
StandWithBud.com also invites people to take a pledge to #GiveADamn and not drive drunk on Super Bowl Sunday, then share their commitment on social media using Mirren’s forthright tone.
In the Twitter campaign, Budweiser will donate US$1 each time someone tweets an auto-generated tweet with the hashtag #GiveADamn and one of the Mirren-inspired messages such as “I will not be a human form of pollution.” The hashtag triggers a Twitter emoji of a Budweiser bottle beside the image of a hand dropping a set of car keys, that the brand hopes will encourage shares.
Budweiser will also debut another 30 second spot by Anomaly during the Super Bowl broadcast. Not Backing Down, a continuation of the brand’s Brewed the Hard Way campaign, will “celebrate all the things that make Budweiser America’s No. 1 full-flavoured lager.
“The spot will show the Budweiser Clydesdales in a new light, highlighting their strength, power and size as symbols of the hard work and care that goes into brewing Budweiser,” Budweiser said in its statement. Not Backing Down is the 27th Super Bowl ad to feature the Budweiser Clydesdales.
