What happened to Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV? Or is the more important question, what happened to all the entertaining commercials to watch? For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser did not take part in buying multimillion-dollar in-game Super Bowl LV ads. 

     This year, drink makers such as Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi did not include several of their most popular products in Super Bowl LV commercials.

     Other companies such as the auto creator Hyundai and Avocados From Mexico did not advertise their products during the Super Bowl game. According to CNBC, this allowed industry newbies like Chipotle, DoorDash, and Huggies to join the “big leagues” with their first-time Super Bowl spots.

     “Their parent companies claim to be shuffling their playbooks for several reasons, such as reallocating their ad spending toward COVID-19 relief or reevaluating the best way to use those millions as the pandemic continues to take an enormous human and financial toll,” the New York Times states. 

     The week before the Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch announced that the company was getting rid of its conventional in-game Super Bowl airtime, and intended on “using that money to support COVID-19 vaccine awareness, instead,” says Market Watch. 

     “I think it’s stupid if I’m being honest,” junior Aaron Huth weighs in. “They’re losing a lot of money when there are many other companies that will advertise it instead,” he says. Huth explains that more people will think about drinking and having fun on Superbowl Sunday rather than being at risk for Covid-19. 

     “While the company wouldn’t give an exact dollar amount, a spokesperson told MarketWatch that the total donation to vaccine education and awareness will be on par with the cost of advertising in the Super Bowl, calling it a ‘multimillion-dollar commitment,’ Market Watch explains. 

     According to Variety, this could amount to around $5 million or more. “Coke has been trimming expenses and products after the pandemic largely shut down the restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and stadiums that would normally drive sales of its drinks around the world,” states CNBC. In January, Coke announced it was cutting 2,200 jobs globally, including 1,200 in the U.S. 

     “Chipotle’s ad focused on its farmers and supply chain,” says Food Processing. Chipotle is known all over the U.S. for its burritos. In 2020, they experienced a “pandemic boom,” causing stock values to rise 72% in the last year. 

     “We want to use this massive platform to help shift attention toward creating positive change for the challenges our food system faces and educate consumers on how they can make a difference,” Chief Marketing Officer Chris Brandt said in a statement to CNBC.

     According to Forbes, most companies start planning and creating their Super Bowl ads well in advance of the game. Super Bowl LV was in question until recently. This caused a cut in the amount of time companies had to be able to create commercials worthy of a multimillion-dollar price tag.