Is Budweiser 'brewing' for a fight by weighing in on Trump's immigration policies?

Superbowl Sunday is almost here - the largest sporting event on the continent drew almost 112 million viewers last year. And the only thing more talked about than the game - are the commercials.

Companies spend million of dollars just to buy the ad time for the big game. Then, they usually spend millions more crafting and creating what they hope will be the most talked about spot shown between plays.

Beer and football go together ... like beer and football. A near perfect pairing. And each year Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser develops and presents an advertisement worthy of some movie premiers.

And this year is no different.

But what is different is the approach. Budweiser opted not to showcase it's horses or produce an ad with humour for 2017. And already, the new spot has people talking. The ad which pays tribute to the immigrant roots of the company's founders has now already had millions of shares and is the #1 trending ad on YouTube. Given the recent stance on refugees and immigration put out by President Donald Trump - the ad's social significance has skyrocketed.

Whether they like it or not, intentional or by accident - this year the ad is political. The campaign is already a success, the spot has gone viral and almost every media outlet is already talking about it.

But will there be consequences?

Will Trump supporters zero in on Anheuser-Busch?

Or in times when controversy = attention is this quite possibly an act of brilliant luck for Budweiser?

Was the risk worth the reward?

To answer these questions, Cambrian's experts can help.

Nancy Griffin is a professor and the Program Coordinator for Cambrian College's Public Relations program. She has spoken many times with media regarding branding, media opportunities and what companies need to do to get the attention for their products and people. Nancy is available to speak to media at any time - simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

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