"Dilly Dilly" is a phrase popularized in late 2017 by a television marketing campaign in North America by the

Wieden+Kennedy Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled ''Wieden & Kennedy'') is an American independent global advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it is one of th ...

advertising agency for

Anheuser-Busch Inbev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters i ...

Bud Light Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in ot ...

beer. The campaign was launched in August 2017 with the ad entitled "Banquet" and set in medieval times. It became a

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...

and resulted in increased sales, the production of further Bud Light ads broadcast during the American football playoffs and Super Bowl LII, and the popularizing of the phrase the "Pit of Misery" as well as characters such as the Bud Light King and the Bud Knight.

Prior use

"Dilly dilly" is a recurring phrase in "

Lavender's Blue "Lavender's Blue" (also called "Lavender Blue") is an English folk song and nursery rhyme from the 17th century. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 3483. It has been recorded in various forms and some pop versions have been hits in the U.S. and ...

", a nursery rhyme or folk song printed around the year 1675. It begins with the sentence, "Lavender Blue, dilly dilly, lavender green, When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen." The website Dictionary.com defines the word dilly as delightful or delicious. Burl Ives sang it in a Disney movie ''So Dear to My Heart'' released on January 19, 1949. Dinah Shore sang “Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)” with the Harry Zimmerman Orchestra. The record label gives credit to Walt Disney's film, ''So Dear to My Heart.'' Her recording was number one on the Australian charts as reported in The Phono Project.

Concept and first ad

The phrase was coined by Wieden+Kennedy art director N.J. Placentra and copywriter Alex Ledford initially as a temporary placeholder while they were brainstorming ideas for a Bud Light commercial entitled "Banquet". The phrase is used as a toast or cheer of agreement, and is comparable to " hear, hear", " huzzah", "

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

", and " Hooah". Ad art director Placentra said that "it can also work as a greeting, a nod of approval, or an expression of gratitude."

InBev InBev () is a brewing company that resulted from the merger between Belgium-based company Interbrew and Brazilian brewer AmBev which took place in 2004. It existed independently until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch in 2008, which formed Anheu ...

chief marketing officer Miguel Patricio said in an interview at

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...

's IGNITION conference that the phrase "doesn't mean anything. That's the beauty of it. I think that we all need our moments of nonsense and fun." "Banquet" was filmed at a church in Manhattan, New York City. It began running in August 2017. Wieden+Kennedy wanted to do something timed with the ''Game of Thrones'' season finale. The story was set in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

times, where subjects present gifts to the king and queen. As each one brings more cases of Bud Light, the Bud Light King (

John Hoogenakker John Hoogenakker () is an American stage, screen and commercial actor. On stage, he has been in a number of plays in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. He played the Bud Light King in Bud Light's Dilly Dilly television commercials. He played Lt. ...

) expresses his approval by saying, "Dilly Dilly". However, when a guest presents "spiced honey mead wine" instead of the beer, the king is offended, and banishes him to the Pit of Misery. The Dilly Dilly phrase was originally intended to be spoken once, but after the client company approved the ad, their production director Jim Jenkins suggested using it more often. Patricio said that the ad did not test well, but thought consumers would understand or get it, so they went against the research and gave it a chance, thinking that repetition of it would help.

Reception

"Banquet" was well received by audiences, who have used the "Dilly Dilly" phrase in wedding speeches and other celebratory toasts. It became a popular

meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

, and NFL announcers used it too. In November 2017, Bud Light marketing vice-president Andy Goeler said that the campaign had attracted 100,000 searches per week on Google and about 45,000 per week on YouTube. He thought Dilly Dilly might be the next "Whassup?" phrase. NFL writers and fans have also used it to describe the teams. According to Goeler, the campaign continues the "Famous Among Friends" concept from January 2017, and the company would supplement the campaign with ads that aren't focused on humor, but more on beer quality. Morgan Stanley attributed increased sales to the ad campaign, and said the company had gained market share for the first time since 2011. However, marketing executive Greg Butler from competitor MillerCoors said that beer sales for both brands have declined, and that Bud's marketing campaign was more about selling a meme than selling beer. The campaign won a Silver Lion for Social & Influencer award at the 2018

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (formerly the International Advertising Festival) is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the ...

Follow-up ads

For the football games that were playing on Thanksgiving Day, Bud Light released their second television ad, "Pit of Misery", which features a guy named Greg who returns to the Pit to share Bud Light with his fellow prisoners. On December 10, the ad "Handouts" was released, which promoted a sweepstakes for winning Super Bowl tickets for life. A trilogy of "Dilly Dilly" ads was announced. The first of the three, "Wizard", was broadcast for the NFL game between the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

and the Houston Texans on Christmas Day. It featured a court magician who is asked to turn things into cases of Bud Light. The second ad in the trilogy "Ye Olde Pep Talk" aired for the AFC and NFC Championship games. For Super Bowl LII, Bud Light aired "Ye Olde Pep Talk" as well as debuting the third one in their trilogy called, "The Bud Knight". Bud Light also released web videos for each of the teams participating in the AFC and NFC Championships.

Later promotions

In March 2018, during the

Loyola Ramblers men's basketball The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The Ramblers participate as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference from 2013 to 2022, endin ...

's NCAA tournament run, the Bud Light King delivered beers to fans. Bud Light also released a "Philly Philly" bottle-and-glasses package to commemorate the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

' Super Bowl LII win, and had the Bud Knight appear at their championship parade. Skywriting of the words "Philly Philly Dilly Dilly" appeared during the parade. Other Dilly Dilly themed ads aired in 2018, including "Tapping Ceremony" in March, and "Redemption" in May, the latter of which Doug, the guy who was banished to the Pit of Misery, returns to offer the king and queen Bud Light Orange and Bud Light Lime. In May, Bud Light released a series of Dilly Dilly themed ads to promote the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

. In July 2018, Bud Light had a summer concert called Downtown Dilly Dilly at Elmwood Park in Roanoke, Virginia featuring country music singer Josh Turner. Also in July, a woman from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

who did a Lady Bud Knight

cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subcultur ...

was sent to

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. In September 2018, the television ad "A Royal Affair" was aired but without using the "Dilly Dilly" phrase. Bud Light VP of Marketing Andy Goeler said that they are trying to be careful not to overuse the phrase. The ad "Bud Lights for Everyone" was also aired for the college football and NFL seasons. At the start of the 2018–19 National Hockey League season in October, multiple arenas introduced Bud Light-sponsored

penalty box The penalty box or sin bin (sometimes called the bad box, or simply bin or box) is the area in ice hockey, rugby union, rugby league, roller derby and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offence not ...

es for the opposing team carrying Pit of Misery branding. Some venues and announcers have also used the quote "To the Pit of Misery, Dilly Dilly" when a player is sent to the penalty box. Stadiums and arenas for various sporting events have also made the "Dilly Dilly Cam" a regular spot during game breaks, highlighting random home team fans who raise bottles of Bud Light. The Bud Knight made cameos during a series of

Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

ads during Super Bowl LIV. He also appeared in the Bud Light Legends ad for

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Confer ...

along with others from the "Dilly Dilly" ads, and characters from well-known ad campaigns that included "Yes I Am", "I Love You Man" and " Whassup?"

Corn syrup allegations

During

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Con ...

, a Bud Light Dilly Dilly commercial was aired wherein the Bud Light King receives a gigantic barrel of

corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn (called maize in many countries) and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften ...

. Believing it was misdelivered because Bud Light does not use corn syrup as an ingredient, they take the corn syrup to Coors Light and Miller Lite. Corn syrup is used as a fermenting aid, where it is absorbed by

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to consti ...

to help form alcohol. Bud Light uses

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

in a similar manner. The commercial proved controversial. MillerCoors considered the ad to be an attack against the company. After the game, MillerCoors took out a full-page ad in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' to defend its use of corn syrup, stating that it is "a normal part of the brewing process and does not even end up in your great tasting can of Miller Lite". On March 21, 2019, MillerCoors sued Anheuser-Busch for

false advertising False advertising is defined as the act of publishing, transmitting, or otherwise publicly circulating an advertisement containing a false claim, or statement, made intentionally (or recklessly) to promote the sale of property, goods, or servic ...

, arguing that the commercial was attempting to mislead health-conscious consumers into thinking that corn syrup and/or

high fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzy ...

(another ingredient not used in Coors Light nor Miller Lite, but is used in other AB products) is an ingredient present in the product as purchased, and alleging that the company diluted and damaged the goodwill of its trademarks. An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson called the lawsuit "baseless" and said it wouldn't deter Bud Light from "providing consumers with the transparency they demand."

Use as a catchphrase

On November 16,

quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footbal ...

called "Dilly Dilly" as an audible call in a game against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. The idea was credited to teammate Alejandro Villanueva. The phrases "Dilly Dilly", "Pit of Misery", and "Bud Knight" have been registered as U.S.

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

s.Trademarks: * * * When Modist Brewing Company in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

had advertised a Dilly Dilly

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioner ...

in December 2017, it received a

cease-and-desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not di ...

letter from Bud Light in the form of a scroll delivered and recited by a man in a medieval costume, where it said to keep the brew to a limited run, else they would be visiting the Pit of Misery. It also offered the company two "thrones" at the Super Bowl; representatives of the company thought it was funny and a cool way of handling the situation. In January 2018,

Merriam Webster Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States. In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...

tweeted that their website has seen regular rises in lookups of the word "dilly" every Sunday. Villanova released a "Villy Villy" T-shirt to celebrate their 2018–19 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team's tournament win. In April 2018, the phrase was placed on the list of exclamations that would be banned from use at the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...

. Bud Light tweeted a "royal proclamation" saying it would produce a thousand T-shirts with the words "Dilly Dilly" for the audience to wear.

List of ads

Television

* "Banquet" (August 2017) – Subjects bring offerings of Bud Light to the king, but when Doug offers a mead, he is sent to the Pit of Misery. * "Pit of Misery" (November 2017) – Greg returns to the Pit of Misery to share Bud Light with his fellow prisoners. * "Handouts" (December 2017) – One of the subjects bringing a case of Bud Light to the king realizes it may contain a chance to win Super Bowl tickets. * "Wizard" (December 2017) – A wizard is asked to turn things into cases of Bud Light. * "Ye Olde Pep Talk" (January 2018; also aired at Super Bowl LII) – A medieval king tries to motivate his small villager army who is vastly outnumbered, until he brings up the fact that they are out of Bud Light and that the enemy has cases of them. * " The Bud Knight" (February 2018, Super Bowl LII) – The big battle is interrupted by the Bud Knight, who is on his own quest. * "Tapping Ceremony" (March 2018) – Subjects bring kegs of Bud Light to a bar for them to be tapped. * "World Cup Is Coming" (May 2018, also "World Cup Is Here" and "Early Game") – The king visits

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The wor ...

Susana who speaks Spanish. * "Redemption" (May 2018) – Doug, the subject who was sent to the Pit of Misery in "Banquet", brings Bud Light Orange and Bud Light Lime to the king and queen, but accidentally moves the sword

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in t ...

out of the way that it gets stuck in a stone. * "Spyglass" (June 2018) – The king uses a spyglass to survey his land. Advertisement for Bud Light Orange and Bud Light Lime. * "Attack" (June 2018) – The king and queen spot ships arriving. Promotion for a contest. * "A Royal Affair" (September 2018) – Visitors to the king remark how their castle is better than theirs, while the king puts up with it. * "Bud Lights for Everyone" (September 2018) – The king visits a pub and buys Bud Lights for everyone, but one of the guests wants a

mead Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining chara ...

. The king at first accommodates the man but the latter becomes more picky in his order. * "One Sip" (November 2018) – The Count and Countess of Pamplemousse tell the King how to drink mead. * "King's Speech" (January 2019) – The Bud Light King dictates to a scribe a speech about how Bud Light will carry ingredient labels. * "Arrows" (January 2019) – Bud Light archers shoot arrows with ingredient labels attached, when the Bud Knight visits and gives a better suggestion. * "Game of Thrones x Bud Light", also known as "Joust" (February 2019,

) – The Bud Knight enters a jousting match with ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the firs ...

'' character

The Mountain The Mountain (french: La Montagne) was a political group during the French Revolution. Its members, called the Montagnards (), sat on the highest benches in the National Convention. They were the most radical group and opposed the Girondins. ...

, but is killed. Drogon then scorches the jousting grounds. * "Special Delivery" (February 2019, Super Bowl LIII) – The king mistakenly receives a gigantic barrel of

, which his followers attempt to give to Coors Light and

Miller Lite Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch ...

because Bud Light does not contain

. * "Trojan Horse Occupants" (February 2019, Super Bowl LIII) – a

Trojan horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

whisper about ingredients in various beers. * "Medieval Barbers" (February 2019, Super Bowl LIII) – Two barbers talk about beer ingredients while giving their customers

bowl cut A bowl cut or mushroom cut is a simple haircut where the front hair is cut with a straight fringe (see bangs) and the rest of the hair is left longer, the same length all the way around, or else the sides and back are cut to the same short leng ...

Web

* "The Cart Loadeth" (January 2018) – Two soldiers load a cart of Bud Light. * "Something Blue" (May 2018) – The Queen suggests Bud Light as a wedding gift of

Something Blue "Something old" is the first line of a traditional rhyme that details what a bride should wear at her wedding for good luck: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a ilversixpence in her shoe. The old item pr ...

. * "The Bud Knight: A Rookie's Tale" (August 2018) – Bud Knight tries out for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite news , url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bud-light-dilly-dilly-viral-commercial-super-bowl-campaign-2017-12 , title=What 'Dilly Dilly' means — and how Bud Light came up with its viral campaign , last=Flanagan , first=Graham , date=February 4, 2018 , work=

, access-date=September 27, 2018 {{Cite news , url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-dilly-dilly-bud-light-origins-20180131-story.html , title='Dilly Dilly!' The story behind the phrase you'll hear most during this year's Super Bowl , last=Baker , first=Geoff , date=January 31, 2018 , work=

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

, access-date=September 27, 2018 , archive-date=September 27, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927050656/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-dilly-dilly-bud-light-origins-20180131-story.html , url-status=live {{Cite news , url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/27/morgan-stanley-says-beer-sales-are-rising-helped-by-dilly-dilly-ads.html , title=Beer sales are rising, helped by Bud Light's 'Dilly Dilly' popularity , last=Kim , first=Tae , date=June 27, 2018 , work=

CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sh ...

, access-date=September 27, 2018 , archive-date=September 27, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927085522/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/27/morgan-stanley-says-beer-sales-are-rising-helped-by-dilly-dilly-ads.html , url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/328283/bud-light-to-serve-fresh-dilly-dilly-for-thanksg.html, title=Bud Light To Serve Fresh 'Dilly Dilly' For Thanksgiving, author=, date=, website=www.mediapost.com, accessdate=December 10, 2018, archive-date=December 10, 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210063439/https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/328283/bud-light-to-serve-fresh-dilly-dilly-for-thanksg.html, url-status=live Anheuser-Busch advertising Catchphrases Super Bowl commercials Wieden+Kennedy