No matter how blah you might feel about the Super Bowl game itself, or even the halftime show, you have to admit that the commercials always catch your attention in one way or another. Whether they're cheesy, actually funny, or just straight-up surprising, they always get people talking. As for 2019's big game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots, people can't stop tweeting about Maluma in Michelob Ultra's Super Bowl commercial. Honestly, if you managed to spot Maluma in the sea of, uh, robots that appeared in Michelob Ultra's Super Bowl commercial, I have to tip my hat to you, friend. The 25-year-old singer's cameo was so quick, I definitely missed it on live TV the first time around. I was probably too busy shoveling chips and guac into my face, if I'm being real with you. But now that I've had a chance to watch it back, I'm loving that the Colombian artist (whose real name is Juan Luis Londoño Arias) had a chance to shine in the spotlight, and fans on Twitter — many of whom couldn't quite believe their eyes when they saw Maluma onscreen — seem to feel exactly the same way. Some fans felt like Maluma deserved more than just a brief cameo in the Michelob Ultra commercial. The commercial itself was pretty good overall. The camera cuts between various scenes of robots basically trying to be human and do human things — go to cycling class, go for a jog around the block, play a little golf — and then it focuses on a robot that walks past a bar and looks into the window to see real humans having a few drinks together and enjoying one another's company. Maluma just so happens to be one of those humans, and as the camera pans to him and a few other people, the following text appears on the screen: "It's only worth it, if you can enjoy it" — a pretty ~deep~ tagline, which is actually meant to allude to the fact that Michelob Ultra beer contains no artificial colors or flavors. Not bad for a Super Bowl commercial, right? Per NBC 6 South Florida, Maluma said of his Super Bowl commercial cameo, I’m so proud to represent my Latin culture during my first-ever Super Bowl commercial. That’s something I’ve always dreamed about and now it’s becoming a reality. He added, I feel very grateful because I feel like the doors are opening right now for my culture in different ways. The Super Bowl commercial is opening more doors for my culture and I feel very proud to have the Latin flag with me and tell the world that we can conquer the world too. Maluma definitely seems like a sweet, genuine guy, not just because of his excitement to be part of the Super Bowl, but also because of his adorable relationship with DJ/model Natalia Barulich. The two first met on the set of Maluma's music video for his song "Felices los 4." In an interview with Hola!, Maluma said, "It was love at first sight. She went on with her life, and I went on with mine, but shortly after we started dating." Now, the two seem to be totally in love. They post about each other on Instagram pretty frequently, with one such heartwarming post from Barulich reading, "This Thanksgiving, I am especially thankful and grateful for the love of my life and our little Julieta. Thank you for your love, kindness, understanding, patience, everything you do in our relationship & our beautiful home. I love you forever my Juan Luis." I'M SWOONING BIG TIME OVER HERE, Y'ALL. Congrats to Maluma on his Super Bowl cameo, and hey, who knows — maybe we'll see him on the halftime stage pretty soon.<doc-sep>Dive Brief: Michelob Ultra Pure Gold unveiled its first-ever Super Bowl spot, titled "The Pure Experience," starring actress Zoe Kravitz, according to a press release. In the 45-second commercial, which was created with agency FCB Chicago and is available on the brand's YouTube channel, Kravitz whispers the message using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) to induce tingling sensations and encourage consumers to reconnect with nature while enjoying "beer in its organic form." The brand will also be available at Snackology 101, an organic concession station at the Super Bowl stadium in Atlanta on Feb. 3, selling organic beers and snacks. Dive Insight: Michelob Ultra Pure Gold is hoping to stand out during the Super Bowl ad frenzy with its calming commercial featuring Zoe Kravitz whispering messages. The campaign is likely targeting millennial drinkers, since the demographic is most interested in self-care trends, like the sensations that ASMR videos tend to induce, and are opting to incorporate mindfulness into their lifestyles. The age group is also driving the better-for-you booze trend and preference for lower-calorie, lower-alcohol drinks and interest in organic foods. Michelob Ultra Pure Gold is made with organic ingredients and is 85 calories. Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra launched the Pure Gold product last year with plans to market the brew to millennials leading active, healthy lifestyles, similar to the general Michelob Ultra audience. The brand hosted an outdoor workout experience in Los Angeles in September called "Power by the People," featuring workout stations equipped with sensors that monitored participants' workout intensity. ASMR is a tactic that more brands are incorporating into their marketing creative in an effort to connect with digital-savvy consumers through unique campaigns and tap into the followings of the millions of ASMR videos on YouTube. Marketers have incorporated brand-specific sounds to elicit an emotional response and stay top of mind. The new Michelob Ultra Pure Gold ad, for example, features the sounds of a beer bottle uncapping and fizzy beer being poured into a glass. In other examples, Zippo incorporated the iconic click sound of its windproof lighter in recent ASMR content created with BuzzFeed. Applebee's last year debuted an hour-long video featuring the sounds of meat sizzling on a grill. Beer brands are seeking unique and innovative ways to stand out and drive awareness, as total beer volume dropped 1.1% in 2017, the fifth consecutive year of decline in U.S. beer consumption, according to the Beverage Information Group. Light beer saw a 3.1% decline in volume, highlighting how these beverage brands are working to differentiate themselves from the wide variety of competitors with fresh products and creative marketing.<doc-sep>
The brand enlisted actress Zoe Kravitz to promote beer through ASMR, but sentiment online was mixed after it aired. ASMR is a popular type of YouTube video but it hasn't made much of a splash on TV. According to data from Brandwatch, 54.21% of the tweets about the ad were negative. Most big brands use the Super Bowl to show off big splashy ads that are first formatted for TV and then run them on social media afterwards. Not Michelob Ultra. The Anheuser Busch-owned brand ran a 60-second ad that takes advantage of a sensation called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) that has become a big trend on YouTube. ASMR videos use soft sounds like whispering or touching to trigger a tingling feeling in some people. While ASMR is a big trend online, it's not mainstream, but Michelob Ultra hopes that it will become mainstream by bringing it to the Super Bowl. Actress Zoe Kravitz stars in the ad that promotes Pure Gold beer from ad agency FCB Chicago. In the spot, Kravitz taps a beer bottle softly and whispers into a microphone. The 60-second ad was posted to YouTube on Jan. 28 and has racked up nearly 13 million views since. After the ad ran, Twitter exploded with tweets about the ad, most of which were negative, according to social media analytic firm Brandwatch. Since 6 p.m. Eastern time, Michelob Ultra was mentioned 4,200 times and more than 54% of the tweets were negative, according to the firm. At one point, 750 tweets a minute were flying around about the brand.Indeed, it's hard for any brand to stand-out in the cluttered Super Bowl, and it looks like Michelob Ultra's soft-spoken approach didn't make the cut -- at least not initially after airing. Here are some reactions to the ad on Twitter: And just like that ASMR goes from YouTube channels to beer commercials. Thanks, Michelob. #SuperBowl - Andrew Good (@FieFitty) February 4, 2019 unpopular opinion (? ): not a fan of the michelob ad. to me, it felt too intentional & obvious that they were trying to stay relevant. if anything, i would have loved to see them use a popular youtube asmrtist, or at the very least one of the celebs from the W mag asmr series ‍♀️ - (@mikathinks) February 4, 2019 Thanks Michelob for making me explain asmr to my parents - Lina⚡️Madrid (@LinaAMadrid) February 4, 2019 I knew someone was going to do an ASMR commercial just didn't think it'd be Michelob - Ian Schafer (@ischafer) February 4, 2019