“Every war needeth a hero. And every hero needeth a beer.” So goes the Super Bowl LII advertisement for Bud Light, released on Thursday. We can’t help but spot the subtle references to HBO’s Game of Thrones, though.
The spot (video above) opens on a Medieval-styled battle that shows one side losing badly; a lighter version of the famous “Battle of the Bastards” in Game of Thrones’ sixth season.
Since it’s a beer commercial, the hero is a character called the Bud Knight, who comes upon the battle scene on his way to a suburban convenience store that happens to be in middle of a battlefield. He’s on his way to a friend’s 30th birthday and doesn’t really intend to assist the losing side, but is convinced eventually to help out.
The commercial that debuted on Thursday represents an expansion of the “Dilly Dilly” universe Bud Light has created with these already-released ads:
The Medieval-themed Bud Light commercial revolves around the phrase, “Dilly Dilly!” The Chicago Tribune quotes the commercial’s creator, N.J Placentra, as defining “Dilly Dilly!” as a multi-use expression that “can also work as a greeting, a nod of approval, expression of gratitude, etc.”
This Adweek story reports that there are “less than 10” in-game slots available for more ads. Ad Age previously reported that “Bud Light will get one 60-second ad and one 30-second spot,” and that it will use the minute-long ad to expand its “Dilly Dilly” universe. The ad released on Thursday appears to be just that.
The fantasy series of commercials began with a fifteen-second spot that debuted in August. Here’s the full series)
Will these tide you over until Game of Thrones returns in April 2019? Probably not, but Bud Light likely hopes that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the series’ lead creatives, in conjunction with George R.R. Martin, can work a “Dilly Dilly!” into the final season.
