Bud Light has been a Super Bowl staple for decades, but while recent years have seen the brand make high-wattage stars the focal point of its commercial storytelling, for the 2026 big game, the beer brand is putting a twist on the format: The keg is the story, and the celebrities are the supporting cast.
While the AB InBev brand has lined up returning Bud Light spokesmen Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning for the spot, all of them will be chasing a runaway keg that threatens to ruin a wedding party thirsty for some beer. Watch:
“Our strategy us around this idea of ‘relatably ridiculous,’ relatable occasions, like a wedding, with a touch of ridiculousness to bring that humor,” said Tod Allen, senior VP of marketing for Bud Light, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “In the spot, you see the keg of Bud Light, to get your first beers of the wedding at risk, as it’s rolling down the hill, and then our fans and the wedding party doing anything to get their hands on the clean, crisp taste.”
Last year’s Super Bowl ad introduced the trio of Malone, Gillis and Manning as the “big men on cul-de-sac,” with a neighborhood block party as the catalyst for the spot. It clicked with consumers.
“We had one of the most talked about spots in cross media, digital and social. So we wanted to run it back, but dial up a little bit of the creativity, a little bit of the unexpectedness,” Allen says. “That’s why we made the keg this year the center of the campaign. Really, there’s nothing better than the celebration of tapping the keg, bringing your friends together, especially around the Super Bowl itself. So the keg is not only the hero of the creative which we can talk about, but we’ve also got a full 360 around the keg.”
The centerpiece of that will be a $60 rebate for consumers that they can apply toward a keg of Bud Light, with a Super Bowl week concert (fronted by Malone) and block parties across the country also on tap.
“We’ve got winning creative with our guys, but we’ve got a full program around bringing people together around keg of Bud Light as well,” Allen says.
But while the keg may be the star, the celebrities supporting it still matter. To that end, Allen framed the trio as genuine fans of the beer, that also reach cultural touchpoints (sports, music, comedy) that are relevant to the brand as well.
“We’re the official beer the NFL for 30-plus years, so we lean into hard with the NFL. Peyton Manning’s a hall of famer, Super Bowl champion. We’re also big into college sports,” Allen says. “Shane Gillis plays beautifully into that because of his role in comedy. He’s one of the hottest actors, comedians in the world right now. And music has been a huge part of Bud Light’s DNA … So you think about sports, music bringing people together. These guys are authentic Bud Light fans, first and foremost, but then stars within their own genre of what they bring to the table as well.”
