• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 3, 2019

Well this is something you don’t see every day: two highly competitive independent agencies collaborating with their clients on a single Super Bowl ad promoting both brands. 

But that’s just what Wieden + Kennedy and Droga5 did with their respective clients Bud Light and HBO for the latest installment of the “Dilly Dilly” series of spots for the beer brand, which featured a Game of Thrones-like twist ending, and also promoted the upcoming final season of the hit HBO program. 

The ad played in the second quarter of the game and was kept under wraps until it aired. 

It started in typical, somewhat silly Dilly Dilly form set at a jousting competition with the King presiding and Bud Knight being the odds on favorite. 

But sir Bud gets his clock cleaned by Thrones character the Mountain. And the action takes a toasty turn as another Thrones character appears on the scene, making you wonder if the King or his Kingdom will be around any longer to continue the Dilly Dilly series. 

Have a look at the game spot and an extended version. 

Production on the “Joust” spot reunited more than 25 people from the Game of Thrones crew under the direction of David Nutter, who orchestrated the famous “Red Wedding” Thrones episode among others. Series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are also credited with collaborating on the spot. The first half of the ad was directed by Bud Light’s Spencer Riviera, who previously directed creative within the brand’s medieval universe. 

The extended version has additional Easter eggs for fans of the show to ponder.