Boston Beer Company’s 2023 Samuel Adams Super Bowl ad will imagine a kinder and “brighter” Boston, starring “Your Cousin From Boston,” Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett and comedian Lenny Clarke.
Boston Beer shared a 60-second version of the ad titled “A Brighter Boston” today, with a 30-second version to be broadcast in six markets — New York, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston — during Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on February 12
In the spot, the Cousin imagines a Boston in which the people don’t fight over parking spots, Garnett preaches not talking trash and the central casting mobsters recycle.
It’s all in promotion of the “remastered” Boston Lager brand. Although the beer’s recipe didn’t change, the company “evolved the brewing process to include a reduction of steps in the filtration process through biological acidification, resulting in a brighter, easier-drinking beer.”
Boston Beer is aiming to reverse declining sales of its flagship Samuel Adams offering. Boston Lager isn’t the first Samuel Adams offering to get the “lighter, brighter” treatment. The company has revamped three of its four seasonal beers – Summer Ale, Winter Lager and Cold Snap.
In 2022, Boston Lager was the 15th best-selling craft beer brand in off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm IRI. Boston Lager’s retail sales declined -13.1%, to $48.25 million, while volume (measured in case sales) declined -16.6% in IRI tracked multi-outlet and convenience stores through January 1, 2023. The brand lost 0.10 share points, holding a 1.02 share of craft beer dollars last year.
Boston Beer has featured the Cousin in regional Super Bowl ad buys over the last two years. In 2022, the company partnered with robotics company Boston Dynamics to promote the Wicked brand family. In 2021, the company spoofed the Budweiser clydesdales commercials.