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Gen Z Brand Strategy Bud Light

Half of Gen Zers say that Super Bowl ads will impact their buying decisions

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By Webb Wright, NY Reporter

February 7, 2022 | 4 min read

The Super Bowl is the biggest day of the year for advertising. Even brands that don’t spend millions to advertise during the Big Game will be paying close attention to see how everything plays out. A new report from Lucid reveals how viewing preferences and behaviors vary across age groups, and also how the metaverse is changing the usual dynamic between advertisers and consumers.

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Flamin' Hot will be airing an ad during this year's Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is nearly here. And if there’s one thing that the Big Game reminds us of every year, it’s that consumers are fickle. An advertising strategy that was a huge hit one year may be a complete and total flop the next. It’s crucial, therefore, for brands – whether or not they’re advertising during this year’s Super Bowl – to keep a weather eye on ever-shifting consumer preferences and behaviors.

A new report from Lucid – ’What consumers really think about Super Bowl LVI and its $6.5m ads, so far’ – analyzes perceptions and behaviors associated with the Super Bowl among 1,500 survey respondents, and how those varied between generations.

Here are four key findings from the report:

Gen Zers and Millennials are key audiences for driving up sales. “55% of Millennials and half of Gen Z say that Super Bowl commercials impact their buying decisions post-game. For older generations (age 42+), that number drops to just 1-in-5,” says Kumar Doshi, senior vice-president of marketing at Lucid.

Millennial viewers are purpose-driven. Humor, while undoubtedly important, should also ideally be blended with some kind of tangible value statement. “Millennials are the largest living generation, they hold the most purchasing power, and nearly three quarters of them (72%) want brands to tackle real-world issues like Covid-19, racial justice, and equality in their Super Bowl ads. That’s more than twice as likely as all older generations,” says Doshi.

Audiences are eager to jump into the metaverse. More than half (58%) of all respondents are familiar with the metaverse. “Of that group, 41% have actually explored it and 62% are keen for ad experiences in the metaverse – a number that jumps to 75% for Gen Z and Millennials. This would seemingly indicate that, regardless of whether or not brands feel ready, the metaverse is not only here to stay, but is already in full swing. Brands, it’s time to lean in,” says Doshi.

A few underdogs may soon be climbing up the podium of top Super Bowl advertisers. The report found that while Bud Light and Doritos are, unsurprisingly, the two brand names that are most commonly associated with Super Bowl ads, there are a few others that are gradually creeping into public consciousness. Flamin’ Hot, BMW and Taco Bell were also listed as brands that “have caught the attention of” Gen Z. And with all the Super Bowl-related noise happening this week, that’s the most that a brand could hope for.

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