25 January 2020

American stereotypes challenged in emotional Budweiser ad during 2020 Super Bowl

Budweiser have released their Super Bowl 2020 commercial, entitled 'Typical American' combatting national stereotypes.

The emotional sequence, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, features images of everyday Americans carrying out simple acts of kindness accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek voiceover calling out negative American features.

The 30-second ad includes the dialogue: "We’re show-offs, we have no sense of personal space, we’re competitive, we’re rude, we’re immodest, we’re loud, we think we can save the world, and we’re always celebrating with the “typical American beer”[Budweiser].

This final stereotype is accompanied by a video of the American National Soccer team as they celebrated winning the FIFA Women's World Cup in July.

The team not only lifted the World Cup in 2019 but also led a well-publicised ongoing campaign for equal pay and gender equality.

Following the video of the celebrations is a short clip of team-mates and newlyweds Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris marking their win with a 'typical American beer'.

Krieger was quick to respond to the launch of the commerial retweeting it with the caption: "Let’s Go! The @budweiserusa Super Bowl commercial is here. Every time I watch, I get to relive one of the best moments of my life with @Ashlyn_Harris. CHEERS."

Budweiser responded on twitter saying how proud they were to feature the two champions and their team-mates.

NWSL champions North Carolina Courage were also featured in the 60 second video, celebrating their 2019 title, as was the partially paralysed runner Hannah Gavios who completed a marathon on crutches.

Budweiser vice president of marketing Monica Rustgi said the commercial was aiming to start a conversation about the importance of the American spirit. 

She said: "2020 is a year where we have the Olympics ahead of us, and the elections ahead of us, and so we wanted to invigorate everyone to come together [and] realise their potential as Americans."

A 30-second commercial spot is believed to cost more than $5.6 million but for that, brands can expect to reach an audience of up to 100m.

Super Bowl 54 is also getting political this year, with President Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg's campaigns both buying 60-second spots.

The Budweiser ad will make its debut during the fourth quarter as the San Francisco 49ers take on Kansas City Chiefs at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on February 2.

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