For the first time in a very long long time, Budweiser will not be advertising during the SuperBowl. Instead of running the plethora of Super Bowl ads it normally runs, it will be donating that money to coronavirus vaccination awareness.
Anheuser-Busch still has about 4 minutes of time they can use for Bud-Light Michelob and other brands, but it's flagship budweiser will be noticeably absent from the festivities.
But the Big Red Machine isn't the only brand to fall away from Super Bowl ads this year. PepsiCo will also be ghost during commercial breaks. While Pepsi still sponsors the halftime show, so they will have a presence, they have pulled back from any advertising for their mainstay product Pepsi Cola.
Not to be outdone, Coca-Cola has decided to not advertise AT ALL. No other brands, no halftime sponsorship, nothing. Coke is joined by Audi and Avocados from Mexico, as brands who will have no advertising or brand representation at the Super Bowl this season.
Whether evidence of a shift in society, or cuts from the pandemic, this is just one more way the Super Bowl of 2021 will look very different from previous years.