Wait – is that Megan Fox? And Serena Williams? Is that Maluma? And Sylvester Stallone with Lucy Liu? Is Christopher Walken narrating this? Did Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer get all these A-Listers – including Don Cheadle — for its Super Bowl ad? Actually, no. Like a backstreet bootleg Birkin bag, this commercial – airing during Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 – is chocked full of convincing bootlegs, of celebrity look-alikes that could fool the naked eye at first glance. Before you can start blasting the Ramones’ “Substitute,” in comes the actual Don Cheadle to confront his doppelganger…who turns out is his real-life brother, Colin. “Man, get off my boat,”
The ad is shot like a hybrid of the Avengers and Ocean’s Eleven franchises. “Superstars. Who knows what goes through their minds when the stakes are this high, when their legacy is on the line” says not-Christopher Walken says. Cue not-Serena saying she just “wants a hard seltzer,” which prompts the not-really Usher to demand a “seltzer with no carbs.” The fake Maluma wants one that’s certified organic, while not-Megan Fox says it shouldn’t leave a bizarre aftertaste. In a world with so many artificial sweeteners (and artificial celebrities), this isn’t too much to ask.
“I dig the creative concept and the fact that the product is organic,” said Cheadle in a statement. Michelob Ultra launched its seltzer line in January, the first nationally distributed hard seltzer that’s certified organic. For those of legal age to drink, it’s available in three flavors: cucumber lime, spicy pineapple, and peach pear.
“There is nothing like Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer in the market today,” Ricardo Marques, VP of marketing for Michelob Ultra, said in a statement. “In a world where most things seem real, sometimes they’re not.” What’s real is Anheuser-Busch’s presence during Super Bowl LV. Though Budweiser is sitting this one out, other brands underneath the brewer’s umbrella will air commercials during the NFL Championship match between Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs.
While a fake Serena Williams appeared in this ad, the actual tennis icon joined Peyton Manning, Alex Morgan, Anthony Davis, and more in Michelob Ultra’s commercial, one that celebrated the “joy” throughout the entire game, not just after victory. Bud Light Seltzer, which debuted last year with a spot featuring Post Malone, will roll out Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade with a spot about how 2020 was such a lemon, there’s really only one thing you can do. Speaking of Posty, he returns as part of Bud Light’s commercial, “Bud Light’s Legends.”