Anyone who has been on a recreational sports team knows the dream of playing in a rink or stadium in front of hundreds of screaming fans, cameras documenting the whole game, and live commentary announcing each play. Budweiser connected with consumers for their commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl by making that dream come true by surprising two rec hockey teams.

As Zane mentioned in his blog, advertising during the Super Bowl is going to be a “battle of creativity and composure on the grandest scale.” I believe that Budweiser has developed a marketing campaign that not only advertises their product, but leaves a lasting impression on viewers. It advertises their brand and connects with a huge portion of viewers in a unique way. Instead of making a commercial that is witty to try to catch viewers’ attention, Budweiser focused on creating a personal connection with the audience.

Budweiser takes this opportunity to segment their advertisement to a lifestyle psychographic segment. Because the commercial is to be aired during one of the biggest sporting events of the year, they take advantage of assuming the audience will mostly be sports fans, and therefore most likely have played some form of recreational sport at some point in their life. By focusing their commercial on something sports related, they are more likely to create a stronger connection with viewers.

I know that personally, this commercial will leave a lasting memory on me that is associated with Budweiser since they created this once-in-a-lifetime experience for these hockey players. The commercial didn’t necessarily promote Budweiser’s specific product, but rather communicated Budweiser’s values, which can prove to be just as effective.