Budweiser looks to younger generation in Kevin Bacon-voiced Super Bowl ad

Budweiser is aiming to appeal to younger beer drinkers with a Super Bowl commercial that features actor Kevin Bacon and hip hop record producer Metro Boomin, and brings back the beer brand’s classic tagline, “This Bud’s for you.”

The commercial, which will air during the National Football League’s championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12, comes as younger drinkers have embraced craft beers and hard seltzers, which have boomed in popularity in recent years.

The new ad shows six real everyday Americans, including a construction worker, a food truck owner and a basketball player enjoying a Bud as they unwind or pursue their passions. Each person takes a beer and passes the six-pack to the next until the final beer is handed to the viewer.

“They say all people are six degrees of separation away from each other, but some are just a six-pack away,” says Bacon, who narrates the commercial. It is a not so sly reference to the parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” – a takeoff on the play “Six Degrees of Separation” – in which every actor in Hollywood can supposedly be connected to Bacon through six or fewer movies.

Budweiser resurrected the tagline “This Bud’s for you” by showcasing real people who embody qualities such as grit and determination, said Kristina Punwani, head of marketing for Budweiser USA.

“The tagline came out in 1979 and showed a Bud was a reward after a hard day’s work,” she said. “We realized the tagline was just as relevant today.”

Metro Boomin, who is from St. Louis, Missouri, where Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch is based, takes the fourth beer in the ad while in a music studio.

Budweiser will utilize hip hop and music throughout the year as it focuses on younger consumers, Punwani said.