Bud Light Pays Tribute to Cardboard Fans in Epic 2-Minute Film

The central performance in Bud Light’s latest commercial really captures the cultural zeitgeist, though the acting’s a bit … stiff.

One of those ubiquitous cardboard cutout fans we see around stadiums in Covid times springs to life and goes on an epic two-minute quest—for Bud Light, of course—in a fun spot from Wieden + Kennedy New York and O Positive director David Shane:

Dude’s a 5-foot-something photograph on one side—and nothing but white cardboard on the reverse. Awesome! He clomps all around town, but only his legs and feet move. Yes!

Sure, he gets swept aside by the windshield wipers of a bus and tossed in the trash. But when you root for the New York Giants, suffering goes with the territory. (Wait until next year, bud!)

The approach works especially well because he’s never too lifelike. Had the figure morphed into a flesh-and-blood human, well, the ad wouldn’t be half as rad. (And we love how those skinny legs chug as he pounds the pavement. Heh!)

As for meeting, well, himself essentially, in the end—that’s a winning play in our book. 

“Cardboard Fan” breaks wide on national TV during Sunday’s NFL coverage.

For an entirely different take on the “cardboard fan” phenomenon, check out this deep dive about Joaquin Oliver, a Parkland shooting victim who toured Major League Baseball parks as a cutout.

CREDITS

CLIENT NAME: “Bud Light – Cardboard Fan”
CLIENT: Bud Light
PROJECT NAME: There’s a Bud Light There
FORMAT: TVC, Digital, Social
CLIENT CONTACT: BUD LIGHT, A-B INBEV
US CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Marcel Pereira Marcondes
VP MARKETING, BUD LIGHT Andy Goeler
BRAND DIRECTOR, BUD LIGHT Joe Lennon
SENIOR DIRECTOR, BUD LIGHT Lauren Rodriguez
BRAND MANAGER, BUD LIGHT Jessica Lee
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS Michael Goon
DIGITAL DIRECTOR, BUD LIGHT Conor Mason
DIGITAL BRAND MANAGER, BUD LIGHT Lindsay Cozen
DIRECTOR, BUD LIGHT SPORTS MARKETING Joseph Barnes

LAUNCH DATE: 10/18/20
DURATION OF CAMPAIGN : 10/15/20 – 2/4/21

AGENCY: W+K NEW YORK
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR : Karl Lieberman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gerard Caputo
ART DIRECTOR: Nathan Wigglesworth
COPYWRITERS: Matt Herman, Reuben Hower
HEAD OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION: Nick Setounski
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jessica Griffeth
SENIOR PRODUCER: Skyler Courter
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Ryan Johnson
MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Lauren Wilson
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR: Bianca Nikic
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Carla Caban
SR. PROJECT MANAGER: Bruce Fields
JR. PROJECT MANAGER: Camila Rodriguez
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Patrick O’Donoghue
SR. BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Maureen Doyle
BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Daniella Vargas
TRAFFIC SUPERVISOR: Sonia Bisono
TRAFFIC COORDINATOR: Tina Wyatt
GROUP STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Stephane Missier
SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST: Matt Hisamoto
BRAND STRATEGIST: Leah Greene
SOCIAL STRATEGIST: Connor Corr
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING DIRECTOR: Zack Green

PRODUCTION COMPANY: O Positive
DIRECTOR: David Shane
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Marc Grill & Ralph Laucella
LINE PRODUCER: Marc Grill
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Stuart Dryburgh

EDITORIAL COMPANY: Arcade Edit
EDITOR: Geoff Hounsell
POST PRODUCER: Andrew Cravotta
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sila Soyer
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Jeff Lopus

VFX COMPANY: The Mill
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Clairellen Wallin
SENIOR PRODUCER: Luis Martin
PRODUCER: Ija Ochoa
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nathan Kane
SHOOT SUPERVISOR: Nathan Kane
2D LEADS: Kshitij Khanna
2D ASSISTS: Hailey Akashian
Adam Deutsch
Lucia Hill Barroso
Jeeeun Lee
Vi Nguyen
3D LEADS: James Mullholland
Eva Kuehlmann
3D ARTISTS: Naotaka Minami
Incheol Jeong
Navdeep Singh
Pablo Estrella You
Gordana Fersini
Arman Matin
John Wilson

TELECINE COMPANY: Company 3
COLORIST: Tom Poole
PRODUCER: Kevin Breheny

MUSIC: Human
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: James Dean Wells
CREATIVE LEAD: Sloan Alexander
COMPOSER: Jonathan Hubbell

AUDIO POST/SOUND DESIGN: Post Human
MIXER: Sloan Alexander
SOUND DESIGNER: Sloan Alexander
SENIOR PRODUCER: Craig Caniglia
ASSISTANT ENGINEER: Rob Suchecki