Don’t be a human form of pollution - or a pillock for that matter: Don’t drive drunk!
Or so actress Helen Mirren tells us frankly in Budweiser’s first Super Bowl 50 ad release. (You were expecting Clydesdales, weren’t you…)
But Budweiser took a different route for their first Super Bowl ad this year, dedicating their 60-second ad, called “Simply Put,” to addressing the issue of drunk driving. And they recruited a very stern, blunt and supremely British Mirren to make sure they got their message across.
Watch the Budweiser 2016 Super Bowl commercial here:
Be Smart - Don’t Drink and Drive
The ad is meant to be a wake-up call for the far-too-many Americans who don’t take the topic seriously enough. In the ad, Mirren bashes drunk drivers and says that they are a “short-sited, utterly-useless, oxygen-wasting, human form of pollution.” (If that didn’t manage to intimidate you, who knows what will.)
Budweiser is using the #SuperBowl (and Helen Mirren) to combat drunken driving: https://t.co/KTUlZhrwLS pic.twitter.com/GIwSSm3TDB
— Adweek (@Adweek) February 2, 2016
According to Ad Week, Budweiser’s VP of Marketing, Brian Perkins, stated that the 2016 Budweiser Super Bowl commercial is meant to “cut through and create conversation about drunken driving” and they found it necessary to “break some rules and conventions for how” the topic is usually tackled among consumers.
Life-Saving Emojis
In order to amplify their message and prove they’re serious about combating drunk driving, Budweiser has also launched some other initiatives as part of the #GiveADamn campaign. They are partnering with Twitter to create a branded emoji for the #GiveADamn hashtag. Plus, Budweiser has promised to donate $1 dollar to safe ride programs, up to a million bucks, for every time someone tweets the hashtag as a contribution to fight drunk driving this calendar year.
The beer brand has also launched a website to help anyone find a safe ride home. Budweiser is working together with big shot taxi service companies like Uber and Lyft to take the safe ride program. On the Budweiser website, anyone can take a pledge to not drive drunk and then share it on social media to help make the important message go viral.
But What About the Clydesdales?
We know, as important as drunk driving is, you’re still looking for those famous Clydesdales running across the screen. Not to worry! In addition to the 60-second Helen Mirren commercial, the beer company is also airing a 30-second Game Day spot called “Not Backing Down,” That ad will include the brand’s iconic Clydesdales, but we won’t get to see it until Game Day is here. (Sorry Budweiser drinkers, looks like you’ll have to wait for this one.)
