In a nod to the show Shark Tank, the first-ever Super Bowl commercial for Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer depicts its “founders,” Bonnie and Vivian, as mermaids pitching their low-calorie alcoholic fizzy water to a group of hammerheads and great whites. Chelsea Phillips, the VP of “beyond beer” brands at AB InBev, tells Ad Age, “The spot itself is not only a pitch to the investors, the sharks, but a pitch to the American public.”
As it turns out, Bonnie and Vivian are made-up characters. The brand was actually founded by a fellow named Nick Shields back in 2013 when it was simply called Spiked Seltzer. AB InBev acquired the brand back in 2016 and decided to rebrand it as Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer — a play on the phrase “bon vivant” — to help it stand out from the rest of the fizzy water pack.
“It has two females in a founder position and presented in a different way than we have ever seen alcohol present females characters before,” Phillips says about the fictional founders depicted in the commercial. “The strength of these women is very important to me. As a female VP, I want to see more of that representation in this space, but I didn’t want it to be a trope. I just wanted it to feel natural... versus more of an overt statement.”
“The Pitch” will air during the first quarter of today’s game, right after the coin toss.
• Watch AB InBev’s Shark Tank-Inspired Mermaid Super Bowl Ad for Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer [Ad Age]
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