Anheuser-Busch’s 3-Brand Blitz at Super Bowl LX
Anheuser-Busch is gearing up to dominate Super Bowl 60, returning as the game’s biggest advertiser with 2.5 minutes of national airtime dedicated to three of its biggest beer brands: Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra. Super Bowl LX kicks off Feb. 8 on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo, and the brewer is using the stage as a launchpad for new creative across its portfolio during what it calls a “one-of-a-kind year” for sports and entertainment in America. The company’s long run as the NFL’s official beer sponsor continues, even though its exclusive hold on Super Bowl alcohol advertising ended in 2022, opening the door to more competition in the category.
Michelob Ultra, currently the best-selling and fastest-growing beer brand in the U.S. according to Circana, will lean into its established positioning around active lifestyles and performance. Its Super Bowl 2026 commercial is designed to spotlight “America’s competitive spirit” while building momentum for the brand’s role as a Team USA sponsor at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games. This continues a strategy fans have seen in recent Super Bowl ads where athletes, training montages, and aspirational moments are used to connect beer with big-time sports culture.
Budweiser, meanwhile, is using the Big Game to mark two major milestones: the brand’s 150th anniversary and America’s 250th birthday. After last year’s scramble to elevate a regional Clydesdale spot into a national Super Bowl commercial due to overwhelming fan reaction, the King of Beers is shifting to a more serious tone for Super Bowl LX. Anheuser-Busch says viewers can expect an “empowering, heartfelt” national ad that pays tribute to Budweiser’s longstanding place in American life—positioning the beer as not just made in America, but “made of America.” The brand is also rolling out a limited Heritage Can Series featuring four retro designs that celebrate Budweiser’s history, timed to hit shelves ahead of the game.
Bud Light will keep things lighter, staying true to its irreverent, party-first identity that has defined many of its past Super Bowl commercials. Its 2026 spot will feature celebrities going all-in to show their “willingness to do anything” for a Bud Light, with the classic keg serving as the centerpiece—touted as the “universal fixture” of any great Super Bowl LX party. Beyond the in-game placement, Bud Light is backing its creative with extensive pre- and post-game activations, including a Feb. 6 Post Malone concert that extends the brand’s presence throughout Super Bowl weekend.
All three Anheuser-Busch spots will run not only in the main game broadcast but also across Spanish-language and streaming feeds, backed by robust retail and out-of-home campaigns in key markets. For fans and marketers tracking trends in Super Bowl advertising, Anheuser-Busch’s multi-brand push underscores how the Big Game remains a centerpiece of its annual marketing strategy—especially in a year packed with global tentpole events like the World Cup, Winter Olympics, and major anniversaries for both Budweiser and the United States. With NBC announcing its Super Bowl ad inventory sold out since late August, expectations are high that these new beer campaigns will be among the most talked-about super bowl ads of 2026.
