• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 24, 2019

Anheuser-Busch InBev has released the full 30-second Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer ad that will run during this year’s Super Bowl.

As already announced, this is one of eight ads, over five AB InBev brands, set to air in the game, making the brewer this year’s biggest advertiser.

The Bon & Viv ad, which will air during the first commercial break, is also the Super Bowl’s first spot for spiked seltzer — or for any flavored malt beverage.

The creative (below) features actresses portraying “Bonnie and Vivian,” the mermaids represented in the brand’s logo, in their oceanic environment.

The pair introduce themselves as the “makers” of the seltzer, then proceed to pitch its attractions — including zero sugar and 90 calories per can — to an enthusiastic group of potential investors that give new meaning to the concept behind “Shark Tank.”  

To shoot the ad, the Bullish agency tapped a pro with impeccable underwater credentials: Dan Laustsen, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer for “The Shape of Water,” among other films.

When founded in 2013 by entrepreneurs Nick Shields and Dave Holmes, the beverage — the first commercial spiked seltzer product — was literally named SpikedSeltzer.

The product was rebranded after it was acquired in 2016 by AB InBev, which took it national in 2017 and launched its biggest ad campaign to date last year. The seltzer — which has been battling a growing number of competitive brands copying the spiked seltzer concept — has also been reformulated to further reduce calories, and is introducing new, “botanically inspired” flavors.

For AB InBev and other brewers, diversifying into spiked seltzers and other non-beer products that appeal to today’s health- and calorie-conscious consumers is a key strategy.

After the acquisition, Shields, who still oversees the brand, described the seltzer’s customer to Beverage Dynamics as “anyone who cares about ‘better for you’ and a balanced life… They’re outdoorsy, athletic people who want to have fun and still be functional the next day. It skews about 70-30 toward women, who tended to be the early adopters… a significant chunk of people who like [spiked seltzer] say they’re not interested in beer at all.”

Just as wine and spirits took share from beer, spiked seltzer is now taking back share from wine and spirits, he noted.

In addition to the Super Bowl ad, Bon & Viv is running a contest with a grand prize of a VIP Super Bowl weekend, with game tickets, for two. To enter, fans 21 and older can post their “pitch” for the weekend, using #BonandViv and #contest, on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter between now and January 28.