New Zealand actress Sez Niederer spies the Bud Knight in the Bud Light television commercial that screened during the Super Bowl. Photo / YouTube
New Zealand actress Sez Niederer spies the Bud Knight in the Bud Light television commercial that screened during the Super Bowl. Photo / YouTube
A beer commercial that has heralded much attention from American football fans after it aired during the Super Bowl was not only filmed in New Zealand, but features a handful of Kiwi actresses.
The Bud Light Super Bowl advert, filmed in NZ by director Jim Jenkins and made by Wieden+ Kennedy New York, follows on from a series of medieval-themed commercials by the beer company that began in August last year.
The Game of Thrones meets Monty Python flavoured commercials centre around a king and his loyal subjects who have a deep fondness for Bud Light - an American-style light lager beer.
The latest 60-second ad, filmed in NZ, broke online on Thursday and aired in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.
It carries on the story of the kingdom's appreciation for Bud Light and follows them into war as they flight their enemy in order to replenish stocks.
Within shots of the king and heated fighting, we catch glimpses of Kiwi actress Sez Niederer who spots the "Bud Knight", and Saraid Cameron and Amelia Rose Reynolds as they look upon their saviour.
Although the medieval clan is hopeful the knight will help them win the war, he simply passes by to pick up some brews at the convenience store next to the battlefield.
Later swayed by the fighters, the knight decides to lend a helping hand by making a blue lightning bolt shoot out of his sword, thus scaring the enemy away.
Yahoo Sports reported that before the advert could be shot in NZ, the men and women behind the hit had to build a road.
New Zealand actress Saraid Cameron appearing in the Bud Light television commercial that screened during the Super Bowl 2018 American Football match. Photo / YouTube
"They had to take dynamite to a hill, extend a dirt trail, and haul hundreds of humans and equipment to a stunning 2,000-acre ranch in Middle of nowhere, New Zealand," it reported.
"They wove through verdant mountains, their WiFi and cell service evaporating as they did. Their destination was a picturesque valley replete with rock formations that, from afar, could have passed for bulging blocks of Styrofoam."
The cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial for Sunday's showcase is reported to cost in excess of $5 million.
In 2017, Bud Light suffered its biggest yearly volume drop ever, 5.7 per cent, according to Beer Marketer's Insights.
The "Dilly Dilly" commercials are said to have spurred renewed interest in the brand with Bud Light stating that they have had over two billion earned media impressions for the campaign to date.
