Budweiser's Super Bowl ad reunites Clydesdale, dog in an emotional reminder of the American spirit. Watch.
After skipping the 2021 Super Bowl, Budweiser is back in a bold way.
No cute puppies. No talking frogs.
In the minute-long “A Clydesdale’s Journey” ad released Wednesday, Budweiser reminds us of where we’ve been, where we are and what’s ahead as the country enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the recent omicron surge.
It’s not the warm and fuzzy “Puppy Love” and “Lost Dog,” Budweiser’s award-winning ads of 2014 and 2015.
It’s stirring. (And it does reunite the brand's favorite marketing tandem: Clydesdale and dog.)
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The ad opens with the beermaker’s signature draught horse galloping full speed across a winter plain framed by snow-capped mountains under the watchful eyes of a mature yellow lab.
Then barbed wire, a broken fence post and crash to the ground.
As a veterinarian wraps the leg of the horse, worry fills the faces of its handler and faithful companion, who keeps watch outside the stall.
After storm clouds, a setback and more worry, a campfire’s embers rise, reigniting hope, all while set to the “rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air” melody of Gary Clark Jr.'s live rendition of the national anthem plucked solemnly on an electric guitar.
Finally, after slowly rising to its feet like the blowing embers, the Clydesdale, with a whinny, alerts the others to its recovery and return.
The dog, replying with a bark, jumps from the back of a pickup truck to join the horse in a full-throttled gallop (shown in slow-motion, of course) as a full-throttled guitar wails triumphantly in the background.
“In the home of brave, down never means out,” is the ad’s tagline.
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It’s a lot of emotion packed into a minute-long commercial directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao.
But it’s classic Budweiser.
“As America’s beer, we wanted to come back to the Super Bowl with a message of strength and resilience,” said Daniel Blake, Group VP of Marketing, Budweiser & Value at Anheuser-Busch, in a news release. “Budweiser has a history of supporting the country through difficult times and reminding communities across America that better days are ahead. With this Super Bowl spot, our goal was to highlight the perseverance and determination of the country and depict that by coming together, we can grow and move forward stronger than before.”
The Super Bowl will feature a 30-second version of the ad.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Budweiser reveals 2022 Super Bowl ad with Clydesdale, dog reunion
