• by Todd Wasserman , February 9, 2023

As you sit down to watch the big game this Sunday, you may note that Heineken is advertising, but not for its alcoholic beer.

The Dutch brewer is instead promoting its alcohol-free beer, Heineken 0.0. The ad, via Le Pub, is not the first for 0.0, but it is the biggest venue yet for the item, which is now No. 1 in its category, per IRI. This marks the first time that a brewer is advertising a non-alcoholic beer in the big game.

The creative is reported to center around the upcoming film “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” which premieres a week after the Super Bowl. A teaser ad, released in early January, featured the star of that film, Paul Rudd, talking to an ant.

The ad comes as the global non-alcoholic beer market grew to $20 billion in 2022, per GMI Insights, which projects the market could reach $40 billion by 2032.

Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights, said that the trend has staying power “because it's in sync with how many younger consumers are leading their lives these days, and also because of all the occasions it unlocks even among those who do drink alcohol. For instance, music-goers like myself find it's convenient to be able to pace myself through a long evening with a good-tasting non-alcoholic beer like Athletic or Industrial Arts Safety Glasses.”

Khermouch said that the products keep getting more credible, though there is still work to do in segments like wine and whiskey. “Throw in emerging distribution and retail channels that are very hospitable to these offerings, and they could really blossom.”