To the surprise of no one, Bud Light is extending its popular “Dilly Dilly” ads into a Super Bowl campaign with what it’s calling a “trilogy” of new commercials, beginning with one called “Wizard” that Adweek can reveal exclusively today.
The “Dilly Dilly” catchphrase, introduced as a kind of toast in an amusing, medieval-themed Wieden + Kennedy spot called “Banquet” back in August, has broken through into pop culture—particularly among sports fans, broadcasters and even NFL quarterbacks.
The AB InBev brand unveiled a “Dilly Dilly” sequel spot in November, and a third, shorter ad in December. “Wizard,” the first of three new spots, will break Christmas Day on TV. You can check it out here:
The ad will premiere Monday in broadcast during the Steelers/Texans game on NBC. A second new spot will debut Jan. 21 during the NFC and AFC Championship Games. A third will air during Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4. The “Wizard” spot is a :30. It’s not yet known what lengths the next two ads will be.
Andy Goeler, vp of marketing for Bud Light, told Adweek that the popularity of “Dilly Dilly” is too valuable to ignore.
“Consumers have latched onto it and made it their own, which is what makes this such an exciting time for Bud Light,” he said. “I think we all knew we had something special when we heard the first reads of the ‘Banquet’ spot, but I don’t know that we ever could have predicted it would have taken off like this. People love ‘Dilly Dilly,’ and we’re more than happy to keep providing new content.”
The wizard is one of several new characters who’ll be introduced in the trilogy. (All “great fantasy franchises” have a trilogy, Bud Light explained.)
“Consumers have taken a liking to some of our characters like the King and Queen, Sir Doug and the townsperson who shouts ‘Dilly Dilly,'” said Goeler. “We try to work in themes that are relevant in popular culture, whether it is medieval characters, zombies and in this case a wizard. The wizard is a true friend of the crown because he’s able to turn inanimate objects into Bud Light.”
Bud Light had some more fun with “Dilly Dilly” recently when it delivered a cease-and-desist letter in the form of a town crier bearing a scroll to an indie brewer making an unauthorized “Dilly Dilly” ale.
“We’re just excited about the ability we have to be creative with this ‘Dilly Dilly’ movement,” Goeler said. “Whether it’s issuing a medieval cease-and-desist letter or introducing new characters and settings, this gives us the ability to expand and continue to be a part of popular culture.”
He added: “When people are using the campaign as a ‘cheers’ among friends or putting ‘Dilly Dilly’ holiday lights on their lawn, we know that we’re onto something really cool. This gives us the freedom to continue to use this world to connect with culture and most importantly have fun and a sense of humor, which is what our brand is all about.”
Goeler said it is still a little too early to tell the effect of the campaign on sales, but Bud Light has seen a life in brand health in both consideration and penetration metrics since the campaign started. “Our job as marketers is to get people talking about our product and tap into popular culture,” he said. “If we can keep this up, we’re feeling confident that the sales will follow.”
See the earlier spots here:
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CREDITS
Client: Bud Light
Spot: “Wizard”
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy New York
Executive Creative Directors: Karl Lieberman
Creative Directors: Brandon Henderson, John Parker
Copywriter: Alex Ledford
Art Director: NJ Placentra
Head of Integrated Production: Nick Setounski
Executive Producer: Temma Shoaf
Assistant Producer: Kiara Hidalgo
Strategist: Nick Docherty
Account Team: Brandon Pracht, Price Manford, Lauren Wilson
Business Affairs: Patrick O’Donoghue, Justine Lowe, Brit Fryer
Communications Planning Supervisor: Mark Malloy
Project Manager: Sunjoo Ryou
Production Company: O-Positive
Director: Jim Jenkins
Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella
Executive Producer: Marc Grill
Director of Photography: Maryse Alberti
Editorial Company: Arcade Edit
Editor: Dave Anderson
Post Executive Producer: Sila Soyer
Post Producer: Andrew Cravotta
Editorial Assistant: Samuel Barden/Joseph Petruccio
VFX Company: The Mill
Executive Producer: Verity Grantham
Producer: Luis Martin, Hayley Wallach
VFX Supervisor : Nathan Kane
2D Lead: Nathan Kane
2D Team: Kyle Zemborain, James Cudahy, Ari Garber, Dae Yoon Kang, Taner Besen, Dhruv Shankar, Gabriel Kim, Ben Kwok
3D Lead Artist: Tom Bardwell
3D Team: Dave Barosin, Constance Bensen, Hannah Lee, Pablo Estrella You, Todd Akita
Production Coordinator: Zachery Fortin
Telecine Company: Company 3
Head of Color / Grade Artist: Tim Masick
Color Producer: Kevin Breheny
Color Coordinator:
Mix Company: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Tom Jucarone
Executive Producer: Mike Gullo
Producer: Becca Falborn
End Card
Company: Digital Domain
