Sales of domestic premium beer in the two weeks leading up to and including last year’s Super Bowl LIII were down almost 5% from the same timeframe the year prior, suggesting a similar story for Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, says Nielsen.
But sales of import beer were up almost 4%, and Mexican beers account for 73% of imported beer sales in the U.S.
Overall beer sales did much better than premiums. Beer sales totaled $1.2 billion, down 0.5%. Within beer, domestic super-premium sales were up 14.5%, domestic premium sales were down 4.9%, import beer sales were up 3.9%, and Mexican beers account for 73% of imported beer sales in the U.S. Craft beer sales were down 0.4%.
But contrary to football stereotypes and counter to what we see advertised during the big game, fans are steadily reaching for something other than a cold beer during the on-field action. And while sales growth for seltzers (+247%) continues to significantly outperform that of other alcoholic beverages, wine sales for the Super Bowl are also on the rise, advancing 3.2% last year vs. the year before. As with beer, Mexico is where the action is, with Mexican wine sales are up 161.5% this year, while sales of Chilean and Argentinian wine are down (-1.5% and -6.3%, respectively).
Spirits dollar sales have advanced 6.7% to $568 million during the Super Bowl season.
Nielsen attributes the strength of Mexican beer and wine to the fact that Latins represent nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population. As a result, the Latinx community is playing an increasing role in defining what it means to be American—including what Americans eat and drink during major events like the Super Bowl.
Notably, Latinx consumers in Florida, which is where this year’s game will be played (Miami), wield $165 billion in annual spending power. That represents 18% of the U.S. Latinx community’s total spending power. In terms of engagement with the game itself, tune-in among Hispanics has remained steady over the past few years at about 11 million, as more than 50% of Hispanic households tune in for each game. And with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez taking the stage at halftime, there’s little doubt that Hispanic viewership will stay strong this year.