There is a certain irony in a vodka brand asking the public to do the creative work, given that the public is also expected to do the drinking.

Svedka, the vodka brand owned by Sazerac, announced that it will return to the Super Bowl in 2027 with a 15-second national spot — but this time, the company is outsourcing the concept to consumers through a contest. The winner will receive $500,000 and the chance to see their idea broadcast during what remains the most expensive television event of the year.

The contest approach represents something of a pivot for the brand, which made its Super Bowl debut with an advertisement that leaned heavily on artificial intelligence, a choice that prompted reactions across the spectrum from enthusiastic to deeply skeptical. (One might say the spot was polarizing, though in the vodka business, that word has a different technical meaning.)

The new spot will promote Svedka Vodka Water, a canned, low-calorie vodka product that the company introduced in June. The format — 15 seconds, national placement — suggests Sazerac is treating this as a brand-awareness play rather than a narrative showcase, which is sensible given that consumer-generated creative tends to work better in short bursts.

A second Sazerac brand will also advertise during Super Bowl 61, according to the company, though details remain undisclosed.

The user-generated approach is not new to Super Bowl advertising; Frito-Lay's "Crash the Super Bowl" contest ran for a decade before the company retired it in 2016. But the strategy has fallen somewhat out of fashion in recent years, as agencies have reasserted their role in the process and brands have grown warier of the unpredictability that comes with opening the creative door to the general public.

Whether Svedka's contest yields something memorable or simply something safe will depend on factors the brand cannot entirely control — which may be the point, or may be the risk.

Original story published in adweek.com: "Svedka Hands Its Next Super Bowl Ad to the Public After Polarizing AI Debut"