Cedric 'The Entertainer' Helps Anheuser-Busch Show Why Being A Designated Driver Is 'Cool' With New Super Bowl Ad

Cedric 'The Entertainer' Helps Anheuser-Busch Show Why Being A Designated Driver Is 'Cool' With New Super Bowl Ad

Company uses comic to help celebrate 20 years of memorable and star-studded responsibility advertising on television

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Anheuser-Busch is using the biggest TV audience venue of the year -- more than 145 million viewers -- and another celebrity spokesperson to deliver an important message about responsibility. Cedric "The Entertainer," who has appeared in some of the most entertaining and memorable Bud Light commercials, will star in a new designated driver spot set to debut during the television broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6.

The 30-second ad shows a fan gesturing to buy Cedric a Bud Light from across a crowded bar. Cedric declines the offer by gesturing back that he is the designated driver. In the noise and confusion, the fan, and the rest of the patrons in the bar, take Cedric's gesture for a fun, new dance move that sends a powerful message about how universally accepted designating a driver has become. As the tagline says, "Designate a Driver. Everybody's Doing it."

"I think that it's becoming more important to groups of friends when they go out to have someone who's specifically there to make sure that everybody gets home safely," says Cedric. "So I hope I can make it cool and hipper for people to understand that it's important to have a designated driver in the group."

According to a national survey, more than 122 million American adults have been a designated driver or used one. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the number of fatalities in drunk-driving crashes has declined 38 percent since 1982.

"Most people already choose to use designated drivers as part of planning a night out," states John Kaestner, vice president of Consumer Affairs for Anheuser-Busch. "We want to remind people of the importance of using a designated driver and hope this ad will encourage more people to do so."

The new ad helps mark Anheuser-Busch's 20th year of promoting responsibility through broadcast advertising, including a decade of responsibility ads on the Super Bowl broadcast. In 1985, Anheuser-Busch was the first alcohol beverage company to air a responsibility ad on network television. In that spot, Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey reminded individuals to "Know When to Say When." And for the past two decades, Anheuser-Busch has continued to integrate creative messaging with celebrities in television ads featuring such spokespeople as John Schneider, Patrick Ewing, Dan Marino, George Strait, Oscar de la Hoya, Wayne Gretzky, Dale Earnhardt Jr., *NSYNC, and Tim McGraw to promote responsibility, encourage the use of designated drivers, and help parents prevent underage drinking.

In addition to celebrating 20 years of responsibility television advertising, the investment by Anheuser-Busch and its 600 independent wholesalers nationwide in these efforts has now reached the half-billion dollar milestone since the company introduced its "Know When to Say When" campaign with community-based programs in 1982. More information is available at http://www.beeresponsible.com/ .

For more information, contact:
Steve Mastorakos, 314.765.7286
steve.mastorakos@anheuser-busch.com

Crystal Howard, 314.577.7292
crystal.howard@anheuser-busch.com


Source: Anheuser-Busch

CONTACT: Steve Mastorakos, +1-314-765-7286,
steve.mastorakos@anheuser-busch.com , or Crystal Howard, +1-314-577-7292,
crystal.howard@anheuser-busch.com , both of Anheuser-Busch

Web site: http://www.beeresponsible.com/


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