Punxsutawney Phil's handlers nod to Bud Light's 'Dilly Dilly' Super Bowl campaign
Groundhog Club co-handler John Grifiths holds Punsxutawney Phil in Pennsylvania on Feb. 2, 2018. Credit: APA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock / David Maxwell
The famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil told us there will be six more weeks of winter, and in a break from tradition, his handler reminded crowds there’s only a few days until the Super Bowl.
Spectators have been turning out to see Phil’s predictions since 1887, but this year, vice president and fair weatherman of the Groundhog Club, Jeff Lundy, added to the fanfare by cheering “dilly, dilly,” a reference to what is quickly becoming one of the most popular commercials ahead of Sunday’s game.
“Dilly Dilly” is the title of Bud Light’s multipart Super Bowl advertising campaign, and multiple previews have already been released.
The medieval-themed series features one person cheering the famous phrase in each 30-second TV spot. For example, in the commercial titled “The Bud Knight,” after a knight in blue Bud Light armor arrives in the middle of a serious battle, a member of the crowd yells “dilly dilly” when he thinks the knight has come to save them. However, the knight was only passing through to arrive at a beer distributor where he purchases a case of beer.
While the advertisements are certainly entertaining, they leave some questions: What does “dilly dilly” mean and why did Lundy cheer it during the Groundhog Day ceremony?
In short, N.J. Placentra, an art director with the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, said the phrase came from nowhere in particular, it was just something he and a colleague came up with when trying out ideas for the advertisement titled “Banquet” according to a report published in The Chicago Tribune.
The phrase, Placentra said, sounded like something a King would toast, similar to “hear, hear.” He also explained that “dilly dilly” could also be used “as a greeting, a nod of approval, expression of gratitude, etc.”
As for Lundy’s cheer during Punxsutawney Phil’s ceremony, it’s unclear as to why he used the phrase. Does it mean that Bud Light is the preferred beer of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club? Could Lundy and his little rodent friend be biased because the home team -- the Philadelphia Eagles -- are finally in the running? Or has Bud Light’s “Dilly Dilly” series simply become so popular that we’re going to be hearing it -- and saying it -- long after the Super Bowl finds its winner?
