This year’s Super Bowl pairs the Philadelphia Eagles, who’ve never won a Super Bowl, against the New England Patriots, who’ve won two of the last three. Eesh! And not to, like, put more pressure on these underdogs, but if the Eagles do manage to beat Tom Brady’s team, Bud Light says all of Philadelphia will get free beer. Even with the caveat of having to stomach beer-flavored water, Philadelphians still seem psyched for this Anheuser-Busch InBev–backed, all-expenses-paid citywide beer party.
Right tackle Lane Johnson is who the Eagles can blame for getting them into this pickle. Before the season started, he told reporters that “if we win a Super Bowl, I’m giving out beer to everybody.” As media pointed out at the time, that is a lot of beer: The census says Philly has over a million drinking-age adults; assuming a cheap beer is five bucks, the tip alone is more than most people make in a year.
Luckily for Johnson, Bud Light saw a marketing opportunity:
All the company has said since making that bet is that an “epic celebration” will go down in the unlikely event that Philadelphia wins. “In the interest of not jinxing the team,” reps add, “we’ll keep things under wraps until the winner of the Super Bowl is determined.” Fans are certain they heard “free beer” at some point, though, and they aren’t going to let the Eagles or Bud Light forget it:
If you’re suddenly wondering what on earth that Middle English thou is all about, understanding it actually helps explain why Bud Light’s marketing team went all-in on Philly. All football season, fans have been obsessed with these “Dilly Dilly” ads that Bud Light keeps running — they feature a king and his citizens in a Game of Thrones–ish universe. In early spots, he punishes people who bring him fancy alcohol with “the pit of misery,” while toasting packs of Bud Light with the nonsensical cheer “Dilly dilly!”
Given how viral this chant has since gone, it’s no wonder that Bud Light is now a fan of Philadelphia — er, as the ad that came out this weekend rechristens it, “Philly Philly.”