Michelob Ultra is teaming up with Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara for its Super Bowl LIX campaign, “The Ultra Hustle.”
The ad features the duo as unassuming pickleball hustlers challenging competitors to a game for free rounds of Michelob Ultra.
Apart from Dafoe and O'Hara, the humorous commercial also features NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, and Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser, among others.
The campaign, designed to captivate Super Bowl audiences with humor and high-energy antics, highlights the beer brand's commitment to combining entertainment with product promotion.
Michelob Ultra Senior VP of Marketing Ricardo Marques shares that this is more than just a Super Bowl ad.
“When you combine these three elements of consistency, investment and creative voltage, once again on the Super Bowl stage, with this amazing campaign that has been the winning formula for Michelob Ultra, it is something that we are excited to continue, not only through the rest of this year, but for years to come.”
Michelob Ultra has rapidly gained popularity, now sitting as the No. 2 beer brand in the U.S. by dollars spent.
This campaign continues the brand’s success with humor and high entertainment value, drawing attention in the competitive Super Bowl advertising space.
With high-profile stars and a relatable, playful concept, Michelob Ultra is positioning itself as a fun, engaging choice for beer drinkers.
The Super Bowl campaign is just one piece of Michelob Ultra’s broader marketing strategy, with the brand planning more creative engagements and investments in the upcoming year.
The “Play for an Ultra” concept is expected to expand further in real-world activations.
The ULTRA Hustle is Now Live
The 60-second commercial kicks off with a young couple ordering two Michelob Ultra beers at the counter, only to be joined by Dafoe and O'Hara.
O'Hara casually asks if the couple is up for a pickleball match, with Dafoe adding, “For the Ultras.”
The young woman, confidently declaring that she and her partner are "kind of at a high level," catches Dafoe’s attention, who says that’s “fascinating.”
Cut to the court, where the blonde asks if O’Hara and Dafoe are sure they want to challenge them. O’Hara responds with a confident “Please serve.”
The couple is quickly stunned by O’Hara and Dafoe's surprising speed and skills, eventually losing the match.
“That was fun,” O'Hara quips.
The ad then transitions to a series of playful moments where O’Hara and Dafoe use the same strategy — hustling younger athletes into playing them for their Michelob Ultras.
The commercial wraps up in a room packed with refrigerators full of Ultra beers. Dafoe and O'Hara raise glasses of Ultra, and O’Hara asks with a smirk, “Play you for an Ultra?”
Meanwhile, Coors Light launched a post-Big Game day spot that embraces the chaos of the Monday after the Super Bowl.
