Live sporting events are back, and bars are up and running. Now, beer brands must make up for the lost time in an effort to reach consumers following a year of radio (and TV) silence.
A recent report from iSpot.tv claims that the nation’s ten largest beer brands have spent nearly $525.8 million on TV ads so far in 2021. This was a 49 percent increase from 2020, when spending came out to just $352.4 million.
Modelo topped the list, spending more than $67.9 million on ads this year — almost $30 million more this year than in 2020. Coming in at second was Michelob at $45.8 million, followed by Corona Extra, which spent $44.3 million on ads.
Beer ads also gained traction during the Tokyo Olympics, with almost 4.2 percent of audiences viewing broadcasted content (compared to 2.6 percent during the 2016 Rio Olympics). Revenue resulted from viewers watching on screen at home, given that there was no live audience this year.
Interestingly, more than half of the highest-spending beer brands are also among the brands that craft over half of the world’s beer. Perhaps that half a billion dollars is getting put to good use.