• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 9, 2019

AB InBev is pulling out the stops for Super Bowl LIII, with its most ambitious slate of ads to date.

The company, which has been a major Bowl advertiser for three decades now and has exclusive advertising rights in the alcohol category, will be the game’s largest advertiser this year, with a total of 5 minutes and 30 seconds of ads for five brands. That compares to 3 minutes and 30 seconds in recent years' games.

This year’s lineup includes eight ads — one 60-second, three 30 seconds, and four 45-seconds — for Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois and Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer.

Three brands will each air two commercials. Budweiser will air one for Reserve Copper Lager, from VaynerMedia, as well as one from the David agency. Bud Light’s are both from Wieden & Kennedy, and Michelob’s — for the Ultra and the Ultra Pure Gold lines — are from FCB Chicago.

Stella Artois and the flavored malt beverage Bon & Viv will each air one ad, from Mother and Bullish, respectively.

Like most beer brands (one exception being Ultra), Budweiser and Bud Light continued to suffer sales declines in 2018, as young adults continue to favor wine and spirits. Hence InBev’s emphasis on new products designed to appeal to younger segments, like the organic Ultra Pure Gold and Bud’s limited-edition Copper Lager, made in collaboration with Jim Beam.

Commenting on the unprecedented buy for this year’s game, Marcel Marcondes, U.S. CMO for Anheuser-Busch, said, “There is no other moment like the Super Bowl, where our brands have the opportunity to capture attention while elevating the beer category.” He added: “I have no doubt that once again our commercials will get people talking.”