Budweiser Joins the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative to Release PSA Promoting COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness During Pivotal Time in Country’s Pandemic Recovery

New film marks ‘National Beer Day’ with reminder that COVID-19 vaccines can help bring Americans back together

April 7, 2021, New York, NY - Today, Budweiser and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation join the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative to release a new PSA dedicated to COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education. This effort marks the next chapter of Budweiser’s partnership in the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative: the largest and most significant public health communications campaign in U.S. history, answering the top questions Americans have about the vaccines so they can make an informed decision for themselves and their families. Now Budweiser, in collaboration with the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, joins the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s “It’s Up To You” campaign with a film timed to National Beer Day, amplifying the vital ongoing message around the importance of learning more about the COVID-19 vaccines and the role they play in getting back to the moments we miss.

As a key collaborator in the historic COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, Budweiser’s new film highlights joyful shared moments over a beer and the value we place on in-person connection, which many haven’t experienced throughout the pandemic. By helping to raise awareness for COVID-19 vaccines, Budweiser hopes that the promise of getting back together again with family and friends will help inspire people to seek out information and further educate themselves on the COVID-19 vaccines.

The film, entitled “Good Times are Coming,” will be released on social and digital channels along with national television through the month of April, shows those special shared moments over a beer from before the pandemic. The film is set to the song “I’ll Be Seeing You” performed by Jimmy Durante, with an uplifting message in its end card stating “Good times are coming. Now we have a shot.” Viewers are then directed to the “It’s Up To You” website, GetVaccineAnswers.org, for additional resources and information regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

First launched in February, the “It’s Up To You” campaign is an initiative led by the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative, convening hundreds of partners across the communications industry to educate the American public around COVID-19 vaccines. Guided by the leading minds in health and medicine and fueled by the best talent and creative in the private sector, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative is designed to reach several key audiences impacted by COVID-19.

“It’s National Beer Day, and this year, we’ve decided to take a different approach to the holiday - debuting the next effort in our commitment to bringing people back together again,” said Monica Rustgi, VP of Marketing at Budweiser. “The country is at a critical moment in its recovery - and as America’s most iconic beer, we’re not only committed to playing our part in the recovery, we are uniquely positioned to use our influence to remind people how close we are to being able to celebrate together, thanks to these vaccines. If the film inspires anyone who is on the fence to go ahead and get a vaccine, then we’ve done our job.”

In January, Budweiser sat out its iconic Super Bowl in-game airtime for the first time in 37 years and reallocated that media investment to help support COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education throughout the year. This was the first step in Budweiser’s partnership with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s effort and was announced by the brand’s digital film “Bigger Picture” to formally kick-off its ongoing commitment to supporting education around the COVID-19 vaccines. This next chapter in the partnership comes at a crucial time when many in America are considering getting a COVID-19 vaccine, with availability and access growing daily.

“As the COVID-19 vaccines continue to be made more widely available, the need to keep Americans informed about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines has become even more critical,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Budweiser and the Anheuser- Busch Foundation have been a longtime partner of ours and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them again to ensure people across the country have answers to their questions about the vaccines. Ultimately, through this partnership we are helping to inspire vaccine confidence and get people back to the moments we all miss, including getting together and with our friends and loved ones.”

Budweiser will continue to support COVID-19 vaccine awareness and education efforts with additional campaigns in the coming months as part of the company’s overall commitment to the country’s recovery. Anheuser-Busch is helping lead the safe and strong reopening of the country by investing across its U.S. supply chain to protect the industry, supporting on-premise partners, and creating jobs.

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation has had a longstanding partnership with the Ad Council including focused efforts on responsible drinking and buzzed driving prevention. In spring 2020, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation also participated in the Ad Council #AloneTogether campaign promoting responsible consumption behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Budweiser

Budweiser, an American-style lager, was introduced in 1876 when company founder Adolphus Busch set out to create the United States' first truly national beer brand – brewed to be universally popular and transcend regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser stays true to the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brewmasters. Budweiser is a medium-bodied, flavorful, crisp and pure beer with blended layers of premium American and European hop aromas, brewed for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment. Budweiser is made using time-honored methods including "kraeusening" for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in unparalleled balance and character.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About The Anheuser-Busch Foundation
Established in 1975, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation focuses on supporting organizations that help individuals and communities thrive. The Foundation contributes to countless community organizations every year in support of disaster preparedness and relief, economic development, education, environmental sustainability, military personnel and responsible drinking. Anheuser-Busch and its foundation are united by an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities that they call home and over the last 30 years, Anheuser-Busch and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have donated more than $600 million to charitable organizations across the country. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

About the Ad Council
The Ad Council has a long history of creating life-saving public service communications in times of national crisis, starting in the organization's earliest days during World War II to September 11th and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. Its deep relationships with media outlets, the creative community, issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute life-saving information to millions of Americans.

The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation's most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels.

The Ad Council's innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter and view the creative on YouTube.

About COVID Collaborative
COVID Collaborative, a project of UNITE, is a national assembly of experts, leaders and institutions in health, education and the economy and associations representing the diversity of the country to turn the tide on the pandemic by supporting federal, state and local COVID-19 response efforts.

The COVID Collaborative is co-chaired by former Governor and U.S. Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) and former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) and led by CEO John Bridgeland and President Gary Edson. COVID Collaborative includes expertise from across Republican and Democratic administrations at the federal, state and local levels, including former FDA commissioners, CDC directors, and U.S. surgeon generals; former U.S. secretaries of Education, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services; leading public health experts and institutions that span the country; the Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the NAACP, UnidosUS and the National Congress of American Indians; the Skoll Foundation, The Allstate Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation; and associations representing those on the front lines, from the American Public Health Association and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools. Tim Shriver is Chairman of UNITE.

To learn more, visit www.CovidCollaborative.us, and follow the COVID Collaborative on Twitter and LinkedIn.