A new taste is coming to Super Bowl viewers who have long been accustomed to watching ads for soda, candy, pizza, chips and beer.
Svedka vodka will run a 30-second ad just after halftime during NBC’s telecast of Super Bowl LX on February 8 of next year. Executives at Sazerac, the company that distributes the spirit, believe the appearance will mark the first time in at least three decades that a vodkawill advertise during the gridiron classic, which for years was the exclusive domain of beer giant Anheuser Busch InBev when it comes to alcohol commercials.
Svedka “had been in decline for some time when we decided to acquire it” in 2024 says Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, which also distributes Buffalo Trace and 1792, among others, during a recent interview. “I’m happy to report in the last few months it has returned to consumer growth.” The hope is that a Super Bowl appearance will remind some consumers about Svedka and introduce it to millions of others. The spot marks Sazerac’s first entry into Big Game advertising.
NBC has sought at least $7 million for a 30-second ad in the annual TV spectacular, which has attracted more demand from advertisers and sold out earlier than is typical.
Svedka’s marketing recipe calls for something old and something new. The Svedka “fembot,” a female robot character that was a strong part of the brand years ago, has been revived after an absence of more than a decade. Svedka’s Super Bowl commercial will use artificial intelligence to show the mascot doing a dance submitted as part of a contest tied to the event that launches Wednesday.
Commercials that use AI elements have been greeted warily in past months, as was the case with a holiday ad from Coca-Cola that debuted last year. Consumers and industry insiders worry that the technology, while making the creation of special effects easier, takes away roles from actual humans. Sazerac’s Saunders says that isn’t the case. Utilizing AI, she says, “has been more time intensive” and required more work from the people on Svedka’s internal creative team. Using the technology was “done so with the intention of expanding what our human team can imagine and produce.”
Sazerac worked with Silverside, an AI production house that also helped Coca-Cola.
The true aim is to get people talking about vodka in the weeks ahead. Fans over the age of 21 will be asked to create and post a dance routine on Instagram or TikTok using required audio and hashtags tied to the campaign. Victoria Justice, the actor and singer, will work with Sazerac as part of the campaign and contest. Humans will teach the Svedka Fembot — who will appear with a “BroBot” counterpart — how to perform the winning steps, which will be seen on Super Bowl Sunday.
Svedka’s Super Bowl appearance comes partially because of Anheuser-Busch InBev deciding to open the extravaganza to alcohol rivals, ceding its exclusive hold on the category starting in the 2023 game. Since that time, rivals MolsonCoors, Diageo and Heineken have all run pitches during the football festival.
“For the last few years, we have had our eyes on the Big Game, really waiting for the right opportunity,” says Saunders. Apparently, the moment has arrived.
variety.com
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