Bud Light, the Official Beer Sponsor of the NFL, is teaming up with Super Bowl Champions and NFL Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Peyton Manning to elevate the excitement of the 2023-2024 NFL Playoffs. The collaboration unfolds in a new TV commercial titled ‘Easy Receivers,’ where Manning and Smith showcase the thrill of throwing and receiving a game-winning pass.
Accompanying the campaign is Bud Light’s most extensive Super Bowl ticket giveaway. Fans aged 21 and above can participate by scanning Bud Light QR codes, expressing their Bud Light love on social media, and revisiting weekly for additional entry opportunities. Prizes include Playoff and Super Bowl tickets, access to ‘The Bud Light Backyard Tour Presents Zach Bryan‘ concert, and gift cards for UberEats and Instacart to enhance at-home Super Bowl parties. The initiative kicked off on December 1, promising football enthusiasts a chance to make their Super Bowl experience even more memorable.
Speaking with The Source, Emmitt Smith details the campaign, remembers his key Super Bowl moments, and gives a glimpse into the NFL future, with his Super Bowl Matchup pick.
As a former NFL Player and Super Bowl champion, how does it feel to participate in a campaign like this one and bring back your memories on the field?
Emmitt Smith: You know, it is cool. I’ve always enjoyed shooting commercials especially. Finally you get a chance to not only play the game, but then you get asked to do something special like this, let alone do do something special with a player like Peyton Manning. And so shooting commercials is always fun. It’s great to get back with someone that you recognize and someone that you know, and to be around each other, to have that camaraderie and have an understanding of what the game itself is all about. And this Bud Light Easy Receiver campaign is one of those things where Peyton and I come together and he’s in the bar and he’s buying everybody drinks and Peyton throwing the Bud light spirals and people are diving and trying to catch for a touchdown.
I’m here to evaluate who made the best catch. But the banter back and forth and the way we collaborate and the way we have fun around these types of situations is really what it’s all about. Creating that fan experience and teaming up with Bud Light has been very fun for me, and I have made these opportunities for 21-plus fans to go to the Super Bowl. Bud Light is just trying to create that interaction and fan experience.
You mentioned Peyton’s arm and getting the cast going but at the end of the commercial. You have good form now in your throwing arm, too. What is your preparation for the shoot day?
For me, it’s just all about being who you are and being authentic to yourself, and understanding what they’re trying to get accomplished in terms of the director and the scene itself. My arm is nowhere near as good as Peyton. It was one of those things where they tell you what they want you to do and you just turn around and just toss it. It was fun, it was great, it was enjoyable. And I do it again/
You mentioned being able to bring the common everyday NFL fan into the Super Bowl through this initiative and this campaign. How do you think this initiative also just enhances general fan engagement and excitement leading up to the Super Bowl, and what have you seen from Bud Light that shows their excitement to furthering their mission?
Wow. great question. When you get into the playoffs, those are very specialized games and every game has an implication against one team or to the other. And they all are driving towards one coming goal. And that is to get to the Super Bowl. So for fans to be able to scan the QR code and to have a chance to get one of those tickets to sit in the stands to watch some of their favorite football teams play, even if it is not your favorite football team. But to win a ticket to sit in the stands and do something that you may not have ever done before in your life, that in itself is a very unique experience. I know for me when I sat in the, in the, in the Super Bowl in 1987, my very first Super Bowl and I saw the Giants play the Denver Broncos, I was so excited as a young 17-year-old high school, senior high school player, and I was excited to be in the stands to see my very first Super Bowl. And I had all these businesses pay for it, so my ticket, transportation, room, and everything else were free. So, knowing that I can do the same thing for some other fans is great. They just in the Super Bowl, how many people a chance to say that they’re going to a Super Bowl? And I think that’s what Bud Life is doing for fans and creating that experience. And that right there is can be life changing.
You have three Super Bowl rings. Reflecting on your Super Bowl experiences. What stand out as as one of the most memorable moments for you?
That very first Super Bowl. Now, when I just told you that story about being in my very first Super Bowl watching it, my very first Super Bowl experience was in the same exact stadium. And so that experience itself came full circle because in 87 it was played in the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl 26, I believe it was, we were in the very first one against the Bills. It was played in the Rose Bowl. So I was on the field this time versus up in the stands. And so that experience in itself was full circle and, and there was nothing, no other Super Bowl can ever top that moment because to me that was the first time I was in the stadium and it was the last time I was in that I feel fortunate and very blessed to have had that type of an experience. Now for these fans, who knows, this might be their very first Super Bowl experience. Could be the second, could be the third, I don’t know. But nine times out of 10, it might be someone’s first time experiencing the Super Bowl and it is in Vegas, so you should have a ball.
We know you love your Cowboys. Who is it if you had to pick a team for them to face in the Super Bowl?
I want to say the Chiefs. Initially, the Kansas City Chiefs were here in Dallas. It was the Dallas Texans and now have a flip of a coin. One went to Kansas City and the other one stayed here and became the Dallas Cowboys. So that would be full circle all over again.
