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business Tuesday 26 January 2021
Budweiser joins Coke, Pepsi brands in sitting out Super Bowl

By MAE ANDERSON and costly pandemic conditions
DEE-ANN DURBIN and without any idea how
AP Business Writers the presidential election
NEW YORK (AP) — For the would turn out. That further
first time since 1983, when complicates the already
Anheuser-Busch used all of delicate process of striking
its ad time to introduce a a tone that acknowledges
beer called Bud Light, the what’s happening with the
beer giant isn’t advertising world, managing to either
its iconic Budweiser brand entertain or tug at viewer
during the Super Bowl. In- heartstrings, and finding a
stead, it’s donating the way to tie it all back to their
money it would have spent brand.
on the ad to coronavirus “It’s a tough year to do an
vaccination awareness ef- ad,” Argenti said. “It will be
forts. a good year for creative
Anheuser-Busch still has companies who figure out
four minutes of advertis- how to thread that nee-
ing during the game for its This image provided by Budweiser shows two health care workers getting vaccinated in an dle.” Monica Rustgi, Bud-
other brands including Bud advertisement Budweiser is running before the Super Bowl. weiser’s vice president of
Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lem- Associated Press marketing, said the brand
onade, Michelob Ultra and The Anheuser-Busch move “I think the advertisers are come from stadiums, movie is still calculating how much
Michelob Ultra Organic follows a similar announce- correctly picking up on this theaters and other usually it will spend on vaccine
Seltzer. Those are some of ment from PepsiCo., which being a riskier year for the crowded places that have awareness. But she said it
its hottest sellers, particular- won’t be advertising its big- Super Bowl,” said Charles been closed during the will be a “multi-million dol-
ly among younger viewers. gest brand, Pepsi, in order Taylor, marketing profes- pandemic. It announced lar” commitment that in-
But the decision to not do to focus on its sponsorship sor at Villanova University. layoffs in December, and cludes donating airtime
an anthemic Budweiser ad of the the halftime show. “With COVID and eco- said it said it wouldn’t ad- throughout this year for the
— which over nearly four (It will be advertising Moun- nomic uncertainty, people vertise this year to ensure nonprofit the Ad Council
decades has made Ameri- tain Dew and Frito-Lay aren’t necessarily in the it’s “investing in the right and COVID Collaborative’s
can icons of frogs chirping products). Other veteran best mood to begin with. resources during these un- COVID-19 Vaccine Educa-
“Budweiser,” guys scream- Super Bowl advertisers like There’s a risk associated precedented times.” tion Initiative.
ing “Whassup!”, and of Coke, Audi and Avocados with messages that are po- To fill the void, newcom- Budweiser will still have
course the Budweiser from Mexico are sitting out tentially too light. ... At the ers like the TikTok rival Triller, a marketing presence
Clydesdales — showcases the game altogether. same time, there’s risk asso- online freelance market- around the big game. Start-
the caution with which These big-brand absences ciated with doing anything place Fiverr and online car ing Monday, the brand will
some advertisers are ap- are just one more way Su- too somber.” seller Vroom are rushing in air an ad that celebrates
proaching the first COVID- per Bowl LV will look very dif- The pandemic has cut to take their place. Return- resilience during the pan-
era Super Bowl. ferent from previous years. sharply into sales for many ing brands include M&M’s, demic, including a socially
“We have a pandemic Attendance at the game Super Bowl advertisers. With Pringles, Toyota and others. distanced birthday parade
that is casting a pall over will be limited to 22,000 pricey ads costing an esti- Companies that are run- and athletes in Black Lives
just about everything,” said people, about a third of mated $5.5 million for 30 ning ads this year face a Matter jerseys. The ad, nar-
Paul Argenti, Dartmouth the more than 65,890 ca- seconds during the Feb. 7 number of challenges. Su- rated by actress and direc-
College professor of cor- pacity of Raymond James broadcast on CBS, some per Bowl ads are usually tor Rashida Jones, ends
porate communication. Stadium in Tampa, Florida. may have decided it’s not developed months in ad- with health care workers
“It’s hard to feel the exu- And Super Bowl parties will worth it this year. Coca-Co- vance and shot in the fall, getting vaccinated and
berance and excitement be more likely to be smaller la, for example, has been meaning that ads airing in talks about Budweiser’s
people normally would.” affairs with pods or families. hard hit since half of its sales two weeks were shot under donation.q

Job losses from virus 4 times as bad as ‘09 financial crisis

GENEVA (AP) — Four times severe crisis for the world taurants, bars, stores, ho-
as many jobs were lost last of work since The Great tels and other services that
year due to the corona- Depression of the 1930s. depend on face-to-face
virus pandemic as during Its impact is far greater interactions.
the worst part of the glob- than that of the global fi- The drop in work translates
al financial crisis in 2009, a nancial crisis of 2009,” said to a loss of $3.7 trillion in in-
U.N. report said Monday. ILO Director-General Guy come globally — what Ry-
The International Labor Ryder. The fallout was al- der called an “extraordi-
Organization estimated most equally split between nary figure” — with women
that the restrictions on reduced work hours and and young people taking
businesses and public life “unprecedented” job loss- the biggest hits.
destroyed 8.8% of all work es, he said. The ILO report expects a
hours around the world The United Nations agen- bounce back in jobs in the
last year. That is equivalent cy noted that most peo- second half of the year. People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of
to 255 million full-time jobs ple who lost work stopped But that depends on a the coronavirus walk along pedestrian crossings Monday, Jan.
- quadruple the impact of looking for a job altogeth- reduction in coronavirus 25, 2021 in Tokyo.
the financial crisis over a er, likely because of restric- infections and the rollout Associated Press
decade ago. tions on businesses that of vaccines. Currently, main stubbornly high in cine distribution is still slow
“This has been the most hire in big numbers like res- infections are rising or re- many countries and vac- overall.q