Bud Light aired 2 ads during Super Bowl LV despite Budweiser's decision not to

bud light sign — Signage of Bud light outside a bar in New York City, United States.
Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Budweiser did not air a Super Bowl ad for the first time in 37 years, but Bud Light had two.
Bud Light aired two ads for its beer and seltzer during the first half.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns Bud Light and Budweiser, has a $250-million-per year deal with the NFL.
Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

Budweiser did not air a Super Bowl ad for the first time in 37 years - but Bud Light had two.

Bud Light aired two ads in the first half of Super Bowl LV, one for its beer and another for its hard seltzer. Singer Post Malone starred in the beer's superhero-themed commercial, while the seltzer's ad poked fun at the year 2020.

Belgian firm Anheuser-Busch InBev owns both Budweiser and Bud Light after acquiring their manufacturer in 2008. Prior to the acquisition, Anheuser-Busch manufactured Bud Light and Budweiser since the 1980s.

Budweiser announced in January the company would sit out the Super Bowl and instead donate the advertising money to help raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccines. Other veteran brands like PepsiCo and Audi opted not to advertise this year.

"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," Monica Rustgi, Budweiser's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "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."

Anheuser-Busch also aired an uplifting ad in the second half of the game on how grabbing a beer means "we need each other."

—Anheuser-Busch (@AnheuserBusch) February 3, 2021

Stella Artois and Cutwater Spirits, other alcohol brands owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, aired regional ads, the company said previously.

Anheuser-Busch InBev and the National Football League established a $250 million-per-year deal from 2018 to 2022, ESPN reported.

The alcohol company reported declining sales early on in the COVID-19 pandemic due to the restaurant shutdowns. The company said it would use manufacturing lines to produce hand sanitizer and expanded its e-commerce business, Insider's Tayna Dua reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider