Trading One Tradition for Another: Budweiser Dedicates Super Bowl Efforts to Champion America's Resilience and Pledges Support for the Country's Recovery through COVID-19 Vaccination Awareness

January 25, 2021, New York, NY - After a year that looked like no other, Budweiser has decided to do things differently. Today, Budweiser launches its Super Bowl LIV campaign that champions the resilience of America and the promise of the future. The campaign also pledges critical support to COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education, as we draw closer to a time when we can bring people back together again safely - at bars, in restaurants, or to celebrate life's moments with our loved ones.

For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser is foregoing its iconic in-game Super Bowl airtime and reallocating the media investment to help support recovery in the on-premise through COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education throughout the year. This year, Budweiser will be running its ad digitally in the week leading up to and during the game. The piece, entitled “Bigger Picture,” celebrates the individual acts of resilience that sparked hope during the last year and spotlights a group of first responders who were among the first people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Bigger Picture” is narrated by actress, advocate and director Rashida Jones, and although consumers may recognize her for role in her recent film “On The Rocks,” Budweiser selected her as the perfect voice for “Bigger Picture” for her ongoing commitment to COVID-19 and vaccine awareness. Her socially conscious podcast “Ask Big Questions,” with co-anchor Bill Gates and high-profile guests, recently featured her conversation with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci about a world after COVID-19, demonstrating her connection to the overall message of “Bigger Picture”: we look forward to a time when we can get together safely.

“I'm proud to lend my voice to the “Bigger Picture” film,” said Rashida Jones. “Budweiser shares my commitment to advocating for COVID-19 prevention and vaccine awareness and education. I'm happy to be a part of Budweiser's celebration of our resilience and hope during these challenging times.”

The film launches phase one of Budweiser's commitment to supporting awareness and education related to the COVID-19 vaccine through the donation of advertising airtime in 2021 to the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative's COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative: one of the largest public health communications campaigns in history. Budweiser is proud to be among the first brands to step up in this way, in aid of the country's relief efforts.

“Like everyone else, we are eager to get people back together, reopen restaurants and bars, and be able to gather to cheers with friends and family,” said Monica Rustgi, VP of Marketing at Budweiser. “To do this, and to bring consumers back into neighborhood bars and restaurants that were hit exceptionally hard by the pandemic, we're stepping in to support critical awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine. That's why Budweiser has joined together with long-time partner the Ad Council, along with COVID Collaborative, to donate airtime to increase awareness and education surrounding the vaccine.”

“In the face of the largest public health crisis of our time, we need to ensure Americans have accurate information about COVID-19 vaccines so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “By working together across industries we can provide life-saving educational resources to the public, and we're thankful for Budweiser's extraordinary commitment that will help bring our nation one step closer to recovery.”

Budweiser will continue to support COVID-19 vaccine education efforts with additional campaigns throughout 2021. As America's beer, Budweiser understands the value we place on in-person connection - an essential element of American culture that was not possible in 2020. By helping to raise awareness for COVID-19 vaccines, Budweiser is helping draw closer to a time for buds to safely reunite in person safely.

The Film

At Budweiser, we believe that when you look closer at what seemed like the most challenging year ever, you can find millions of individual acts that actually brought us hope. The campaign film, titled “Bigger Picture,” heroes some of the most inspiring, but not always talked about, stories of 2020. Similar to its 2020 Super Bowl spot, Budweiser is once again turning the camera on those it believes deserve to be celebrated right now - the ordinary people of America who showed incredible resilience and overcame the challenges of 2020.

The film starts with a recreation of a viral video from early in the pandemic of a man singing “Lean on Me” out his apartment window, followed by his neighbors joining in. The song by beloved singer Bill Withers, who passed away in early April 2020, provided renewed inspiration during the initial COVID-19 lockdown and serves as a backdrop to “Bigger Picture,” directed by Morgan Harary, best known for his visually stunning work on behalf of many popular brands, and narrated by Rashida Jones.

Created by DAVID Miami, “Bigger Picture,” through found and shot footage, shows the moments in 2020 where ordinary Americans came together to do something extraordinary, including:

• Neighbors singing together while in lock-down
• Neighbors taking down barriers to create community
• Birthday car parades
• Virtual work meetings with man's best friend
• NBA players kneeling in unified support of the Black Lives Matter movement
• The Lakers winning their 17th NBA finals title
• Americans celebrating while waiting in lines - to vote, at the grocery store and more
• A group of healthcare workers receiving the COVID-10 vaccine

To view the film in full, check out Budweiser's YouTube page and help raise a Bud to the resilience of America. For more information on Budweiser's Super Bowl campaign, check out Budweiser on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Budweiser

Budweiser, an American-style lager, was introduced in 1876 when company founder Adolphus Busch set out to create the United States' first truly national beer brand – brewed to be universally popular and transcend regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser stays true to the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brewmasters. Budweiser is a medium-bodied, flavorful, crisp and pure beer with blended layers of premium American and European hop aromas, brewed for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment. Budweiser is made using time-honored methods including "kraeusening" for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in unparalleled balance and character.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America's most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.