NFL: Why is Budweiser not advertising in the Super Bowl this year?

Super Bowl LV will have another first-time situation. For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser will not run a commercial during the big game. Instead of running the ad on the day of the Super Bowl, Budweiser plans to run its ad the week before the championship game on Sunday.

This year's Budweiser commercial will feature actress Rashida Jones. She has been on two of the biggest shows on television. Jones starred in "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation." She will be the narrator for the digital Budweiser ad.

37 years is a long time, and with Budweiser opting out of the Super Bowl, many fans are wondering why the company won't have an ad in the game this year.

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Why did Budweiser decide to pass on a Super Bowl commercial?

Budweiser and Bud Light are a few of the top companies for advertising with the NFL

Budweiser will be doing something more meaningful with the money it spends on a Super Bowl commercial. The company will funnel the marketing dollars that it spent on the commercial to boost vaccine awareness for COVID-19. As of Saturday, there have been 59.3 million vaccine doses distributed.

The problem with that number is that only 39.1 million doses have been given to individuals. The clear discrepancy is troubling. Because Budweiser is one of the biggest alcoholic beverage companies in the world, it has a chance to use its platform for the greater good. Budweiser probably hopes that if it donates to vaccine awareness, more people will consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Budweiser Will Sit Out the #SuperBowl for the First Time in 37 YearsAnheuser-Busch will shift its marketing budget to support Covid-19 vaccine PSAs https://t.co/FtltxBtTg5 #marketingnews pic.twitter.com/GN2PwjerFB

— Marksmen (@MarksmenTweets) January 30, 2021

Budweiser also has a plan to donate a percentage of its advertising time to the 2021 Ad Council and COVID-19 Collaborative's Vaccine Education Initiative. The beer company is not giving up on marketing its product by any means. Budweiser will be giving away free beer to adults who are over the age of 21 on their ABeerOnBud.com website between January 25th and February 7th.

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Which other major brands opted out of airing a commercial during the Super Bowl?

Coca-Cola is another big brand that has opted out of the Super Bowl commercials

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have also opted out of airing a commercial during Super Bowl LV. Pepsi is not airing a commercial because it is putting 100% of its focus on the Super Bowl halftime show. Coca-Cola isn't running an ad because it wants to focus on investing its resources on the pandemic.

Rookie lineup! Robinhood takes the field as big names like Coca-Cola & Pepsi skip #SuperBowl ad space. @brianstelter talks big plays, price tag, and newcomers on @firstmove pic.twitter.com/yv7dbI43oN

— Julia Chatterley (@jchatterleyCNN) February 5, 2021

Although Pepsi itself is not airing a commercial during the Super Bowl, its other brands will. Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay plan to air commercials instead of Pepsi's main soda.

Budweiser and Coca-Cola are making big statements in Super Bowl LV. Instead of throwing money into marketing their products, these companies are putting their money toward a good cause.