After last year’s layoff, the Budweiser Clydesdales are back in business for this year’s Super Bowl.
The Budweiser Clydesdale ads (along with good boy of a pup) have been a staple for the Super Bowl for the past 37-years, but used last year to take some time off and raise money for COVID-19 vaccine education… in order to get everybody back together to enjoy their favorite drinks as fast as possible.
Nevertheless, they’re back and in full-force, but with a different look…
According to USA Today, this year’s Clydesdale spot will look opt for a much more emotional approach, looking to represent America’s comeback from the setbacks of the pandemic.
Budweiser VP of marketing Daniel Blake had a lot to say about the reappearance:
“The Clydesdales are, for many people, a symbol of America, a symbol of hope, of strength, of resilience. We felt they were the perfect metaphor to tell this broader story, this comeback story.
For us to come back, with a symbol of America but also a story of injury, the road to recovery and ultimately, this triumph, I think is a really important message for the country to hear right now and one that really, only Budweiser can tell in this way.”
Titled “A Clydesdale’s Journey,” the new ad was directed by Chloe Zhao.
Blake continued:
“People are going to really respond to that in a positive way. It’s going to mean something, kind of deep in their core, so universal for the country to have that sentiment.
That down never means out, that you can always bounce back from injury if you put in hard work and have the support of your community. For a legacy brand like Budweiser, this stage is especially important to be able to promote a message like that.
Newer brands or nascent brands, they don’t have that responsibility to use this platform in the same way. But for a brand like Budweiser, we do have that responsibility.”
Last year, the Super Bowl’s ad rates stayed flat at around $5.5 million for a 30-second spot. However, the rates have jumped to $6.5 million already this year with the return of brands like Budweiser.
Blake concluded:
“People in America want to hear that (resilience) message. They want to have something that they feel pride in. And for a brand that is synonymous with the country like Budweiser is, it’s great to be able to promote that message and it’s a great opportunity to bring people together.
“It should ultimately be a really unifying message that everyone can come together and feel pride that as Americans, we always bounce back.”
Bud’s 2020 Super Bowl ad was titled “Typical Americans.”
