Did Peyton Manning give the greatest free advertising plug of all time?
The entire football community waited to hear the answer to the most important question Peyton Manning would be asked all night.
Was Super Bowl 50 the last game of his Hall of Fame career?
While many probably expected him to deflect the question to be answered another day, few expected the response he gave to sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson moments after the game was over:
Budweiser didn’t pay Peyton Manning to plug the brand, but he still stands to benefit. https://t.co/Mj1VTyVC2E https://t.co/HhGuXEvs8z
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 8, 2016
"I want to go kiss my wife and kids. I want to go hug my family. I'm going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight, Tracy.” – Peyton Manning
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 8, 2016
Later, when he appeared on the stage with CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz, he doubled down with another Budweiser mention when asked the same question.
Peyton Manning is def drinking some Budweiser tonight. #SuperBowl #SB50 pic.twitter.com/qKkXY2HquP
— Singleshot ⚾ (@Singleshot25) February 8, 2016
This NFL.com editor’s Tweet was essentially what most of the internet was thinking about the plug:
Budweiser marketing executives right now pic.twitter.com/hzpQZfnePI
— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) February 8, 2016
But Anheuser Busch’s marketing communcations lead Lisa Weser took to Twitter almost immediately to deny that Budweiser was paying Manning to say such a thing:
Hi Internet. For the record, Budweiser did not pay Peyton Manning to mention Budweiser tonight. We were surprised and delighted that he did.
— Lisa Weser (@LisaWeser) February 8, 2016
The company also posted this to its official Twitter page:
We didn’t know the shout out was coming either, but we’re glad it did. @Broncos celebrate like this tonight. #SB50 pic.twitter.com/ugGyt3Sg0z
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) February 8, 2016
Apparently, Manning continued his Budweiser push during an interview with CBS This Morning:
"I’ve had a few Budweisers and it’s been a special night." — @broncos QB Peyton Manning pic.twitter.com/N4t4NlOkce
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 8, 2016
According to Bloomberg Business, the amount of “free” ad time Peyton Manning gave Budweiser on Sunday night amounts to approximately $3.2 million.
While we can maybe believe that he didn’t get paid, it does seem like there may be a potential relationship brewing there between Manning and the beer giant for his life after football.
There are, of course, alternative theories. Maybe he did it on a dare? Maybe it was a bet with Eli? Maybe he really just loves the taste of a cold Budweiser?
All we know for sure is that it was an unexpected response and quite humorous in the context of the question.