Anheuser-Busch InBev will invest $1 billion over the next two years in its U.S. facilities, with part of the investment directed at improving its hard seltzer production capabilities.
A-B called the spend the “largest capital investment” in the company’s history.
The investment breaks include about $400 million allocated to A-B’s 12 major breweries in the U.S., with about $50 million dedicated to new hard seltzer brewing capabilities and more than $100 million for new canning lines and investments, an A-B spokesperson confirmed with Brewbound.
Those investments are largely being made with a focus on aiding production of A-B’s portfolio of hard seltzers, including upping its ability to produce popular slim (or “sleek”) cans, modernizing its breweries’ technology for producing variety packs, and increasing the number of production lines across its facilities to create variety pack.
Those investments will be made in more than 20 states, in particular California, Georgia, Missouri and New York, the spokesperson added.
Additionally, A-B has earmarked nearly $100 million toward sustainability projects, including solar panel installments, water treatment and other initiatives over the next two years.
The $1 billion spend over the next two years is part of the company’s plan to help “drive economic prosperity in communities across the U.S., further fortify its operations, and strengthen connections to its consumers.”
A-B announced the investments in conjunction with the release of its first corporate Super Bowl ad titled “Let’s Grab a Beer.”
The 90-second ad, created by Wieden+Kennedy, produced by director David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, House of Cards, Mindhunter) and scored by Atticus Ross, shows various moments that bring people together for a beer.
“The insight comes straight out of real life as so many people are just longing to be together with their friends and family again,” Anheuser-Busch CMO Marcel Marcondes said in a release. “So, while the spot shows many of the brands in our portfolio in different situations, the beer is not the hero of the ad. The people are.
“In the end, this ad is really about the role the beer category plays in people’s lives,” Marcondes added. “Now more than ever, it’s become clear just how much people miss getting together. As the leader in the beer category, we felt the responsibility to tell that story.”
The commercial concludes with a flash of logos for Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, Cutwater Spirits, Goose Island, Cutwater Spirits, Busch Light and Budweiser Zero brands.
A-B also shared its Super Bowl spot for Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer, which features several celebrity lookalikes (Serena Williams, Usher, Sylvester Stallone, Megan Fox, Maluma and Lucy Liu) and one real celeb, Don Cheadle.
“In a world where most things seem real, sometimes they’re not: that’s the central theme of our Super Bowl LV campaign, which will certainly entertain as well as educate,” Michelob Ultra VP Ricardo Marques said in a press release.
The 60-second ad, called “All-Star Cast,” was created by creative agency FCB.
Both ads are part of A-B’s national Super Bowl buy, which includes 4 minutes of commercial airtime for Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade and Michelob Ultra. A-B maintains beer category exclusivity over advertising during the February 7 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.