By Megan Graham
Svedka vodka will use artificial intelligence to feature its old “Fembot” mascot in the brand’s first Super Bowl commercial.
Privately owned spirits company Sazerac, which acquired Svedka from Constellation Brands earlier this year, decided to feature its new property in the Super Bowl as part of a new push for the brand. Alcohol advertising has become more competitive at the Super Bowl in recent years after Anheuser-Busch gave up its long-running exclusive rights to the category in the game.
“When we acquired Svedka, it had been declining for quite some time,” said Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, whose portfolio also includes Buffalo Trace, Southern Comfort and Fireball. “Constellation really hadn’t invested behind the brand.” Svedka has now returned to growth, she said.
Sazerac this fall brought back Svedka’s “Fembot,” a shapely robot that had been retired more than 10 years ago. The brand’s Super Bowl debut is meant to introduce Svedka to new consumers and rebuild its brand equity with others, according to Saunders.
Sazerac worked with AI firm Silverside, which also helped Coke make one of its holiday spots this year, to create the Super Bowl commercial. It took about four months to rebuild the Fembot and train the AI on the facial expressions and body movements that made sense, Saunders said.
The use of AI in advertising has at times triggered fury or disdain from some ad industry employees and consumers. But that hasn’t stopped marketers from investing in AI and trying to figure out where it can factor into their creative work.
AI was the right tool to use thematically for an ad campaign depicting a futuristic robot, according to Saunders.
“I would say there’s a misnomer that AI is a shortcut,” Saunders said. “I don’t think my team has worked harder on any ad that we’ve created for any brand.”
It still requires hands-on direction to create the desired output using AI, she added. “Every single piece of the ad has been hand-held and art-directed—almost as though the AI is an animation tool,” Saunders said. “…It actually has required more work.”
Saunders doesn’t see the human side of advertising going anywhere. “We’re not in a world in which we can prompt creative ideas. The ideas still have to come from the brand team,” she said.
Other Super Bowl advertisers in 2026 will include Mondelez cracker brand Ritz, beverage company Liquid Death and food delivery service Grubhub.
Write to Megan Graham at megan.graham@wsj.com
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/svedkas-first-super-bowl-ad-will-be-made-primarily-with-ai-c2662f5e
