With Anheuser-Busch InBev surrendering its exclusivity rights to the Super Bowl, Heineken's advertisement will be for Heineken 0.0.  To promote the non-alcohol brew, the brewer is spending $7 million.  

That's significant in that it shows the growth of the non-alc/low-alc segment, which is widely reported to be driven by younger drinkers.  Does this mean they are giving up alcoholic beverages altogether?  Some are, of course.  But the non-alc/low-alc segment is also picking up some abstainers who now have an alternative to ordering soda or soft drinks.

Equally important, we think, is a trend I've noticed among my daughters's friends.  They tend to swap off between the alcohol version of a product and the non-alc/low-alc version.  So they might have one or two beers (or sparkling wines, or whatever) and then switch off to a non-alc/low-alc version.  

Heineken's $7 million Super Bowl buy, we think, is a testament to that trend.  And the more it is advertised, the more it becomes mainstream.  In fact, non-alc/low-alc advertising may be one of the most effective responsibility messaging there is.