Serena Williams stepped away from skilled tennis in 2022 after a record-setting profession. Now, she is taking up a well-liked pastime amongst retirees: golf.
However, very like she modified the sport of tennis perpetually, Williams isn’t going to play simply any spherical of golf.
That’s the premise behind Michelob Extremely’s newest Tremendous Bowl advert—launched in full at present—which takes place at Bushwood Nation Membership, the fictional course from the 1980 sports activities comedy Caddyshack.
The 60-second spot, “New Members Day,” options Williams as the long run face of golf, alongside Emmy-winning actor Brian Cox as a relic of its stodgy previous.
Constructing on final 12 months’s momentum
This follows Michelob’s homage to 1998’s bowling-themed traditional, The Huge Lebowski, in Tremendous Bowl 56.
“That was the primary time we collectively felt we had given Michelob Extremely a vibe, and we had been actually happy with that,” mentioned Blair Warren, artistic director at Wieden+Kennedy. “We had been excited to attempt to preserve constructing on that momentum.”
The start line for Michelob is all the time, “The place else do the gamers play once they’re not taking part in?” Warren mentioned. Meaning asking, “The place else do consuming beer and being energetic dwell in excellent concord?”
That, after all, led to golf.
The game was an apparent alternative as a result of Michelob has sponsored the PGA since 1994—and Tremendous Bowl 57 will happen in Phoenix, which is house to just about 200 golf programs.
“Caddyshack simply felt like a no brainer to us,” Warren added.
An all-star solid
However, very like the plot of the 43-year-old movie, golf is present process huge adjustments now. Because it turns into extra inclusive and enjoyable, Ricardo Marques, vp of promoting for Michelob, mentioned, “We need to be a part of telling that story.”
Warren famous that Caddyshack, which focuses on “new members coming in and rewriting the foundations and turning a really stuffy institution on its head,” aligns nicely with Michelob’s perspective about sports activities and inclusivity.
“Our athletes coming in and giving a nod to that movie in a approach that infuses a ton of pleasure felt proper to us,” she mentioned.
This second tribute to a comedy traditional options an all-star solid, together with NBA participant Jimmy Butler, WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike, soccer champion Alex Morgan, boxer Canelo Alvarez and former NFL quarterback Tony Romo.
It’s the boldest plan we’ve ever had.
Ricardo Marques, vp of promoting for Michelob
For the second 12 months, Michelob’s Tremendous Bowl spot options an equal variety of female and male athletes‚ which Williams instructed Adweek was a part of the attraction for her.
“I like the message—it’s actually about having fun with and enjoyable,” she mentioned. “And likewise what I actually cherished about that advert final 12 months was it was actually about equality … and I believed that was actually superb.”
‘I’ve to get indignant’
In the meantime, Cox, who hails from Scotland, mentioned till this 12 months his familiarity with the Tremendous Bowl had been restricted to Janet Jackson’s notorious wardrobe malfunction in the course of the halftime present in 2004. His sons, nonetheless, satisfied him to make the leap.
“What was key for me … was I’ve all the time been an admirer of Ted Knight,” who performed the stuffy Choose Elihu Smails within the movie, Cox instructed Adweek. “So it was good to pay homage to Knight as a result of he’s superb within the film and being a comic book villain.”
One might additionally argue Cox is tapping into his expertise as Logan Roy from the HBO hit Succession in his flip as a pissed off Smails-like golfer.
“I’ve to get indignant, which I can do relatively nicely,” Cox mentioned of his function. “That was Ted Knight in Caddyshack. He will get very, very indignant and he loses it on numerous events.”
Different cameos within the spot embrace Romo within the function of assistant groundskeeper Carl Spackler, which was initially performed by Invoice Murray. Additionally preserve an eye fixed out for Michael O’Keefe, the actor who performed caddy Danny Noonan. He reprises his function to advise Williams on her recreation. (“Be the ball,” he whispers earlier than an uproarious celebration.)
Marques famous the model has been “extremely constant” with its give attention to pleasure lately. That features the tagline, “It’s Solely Value It If You Get pleasure from It,” which Michelob adopted in 2020.
In reality, Marques mentioned pleasure is what he needs viewers to remove on Tremendous Bowl Sunday. The model didn’t disclose when the advert will air in the course of the recreation.
“We hope to place a smile on individuals’s faces, reminding them that, sure, you will need to generally chill and revel in [yourself],” he mentioned. “I imply, the world’s best do it. Why shouldn’t you do it?”
‘Our greatest Tremendous Bowl but’
The Tremendous Bowl is simply the beginning of what Marques referred to as Michelob’s “most commercially built-in plan” ever.
In a collection of January teasers main as much as the total spot, Michelob included a QR code, which made it straightforward for viewers to purchase Michelob from Instacart.
The beer model’s Tremendous Bowl plan additionally consists of golf-specific packaging, which includes a QR code that can unlock the primary episode of a brand new golf-focused Netflix collection, Full Swing. The episode will go dwell following the sport and shall be accessible till 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 13.
“That is the primary time a blockbuster present shall be launched via a beer can, which we discover fairly thrilling as nicely,” Marques mentioned.
In a second in-game spot that can air someday after the primary advert, Romo and Morgan shall be joined by professional golfer Rickie Fowler—the one star who drove his personal golf cart on set—as they preview Full Swing. The advert may also embrace a QR code that gives entry to the primary episode.
Lastly, Michelob partnered with golf attire model Devereux Golf to create its first-ever girls’s line, which is featured in each adverts.
“It’s the boldest plan we’ve ever had,” Marques mentioned. “I feel it’s going to be our greatest Tremendous Bowl but.”
