Anheuser-Busch not only wants consumers to buy its products, it also wants viewers of upcoming Super Bowl XL to think the company's beer ads are funny. The giant brewer has bought more commercial time
in the game than any other advertiser--a whopping five minutes at an estimated rate of more than $2.4 million per 30-second spot--but the company wants more than simple exposure to the game's 90
million viewers. It also wants to win the battle for coveted word-of-mouth watercooler talk the next day about which ads were the best, and it is hoping to come out on top in real competitions for
the best ads conducted by online newspaper polls. "Watercooler talk is really important. It's a measure of success," says Marlene Coulis, vice president for brand management at Anheuser. "If you can
get the commercial to be part of pop culture, it makes the ad more memorable." Scoring big with viewers also helps galvanize retailers and wholesalers, important constituents in the selling of beer,
particularly in the months leading up to the big summer-beer-selling season.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at WSJ (paid subscription required) »
