WASHINGTON — After last year marked the first Super Bowl without a Budweiser ad in 37 years, the iconic beer brand is returning with a new commercial directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao and featuring its staple Clydesdale horse.
The 1-minute long commercial doesn't have any dialogue, yet it tells the emotional story about a Clydesdale that is seriously injured while jumping over a barbed-wire fence. Viewers are led to believe that the horse may never walk again, only for the Clydesdale to come back galloping in full stride as it's chased by a canine friend.
"In the home of the brave, down never means out," reads the final text on-screen as the camera pans around the speeding horse.
The return of the Clydesdale is not much of a surprise for both Super Bowl commercial fans and Budweiser connoisseurs alike: Anheuser-Busch released a 10-second teaser last month featuring the horse galloping and a simple caption of "we're back."
Anheuser-Busch, which also owns other beer and hard seltzer brands with Super Bowl commercials on tap including Bud Light and Michelob Ultra, indicated that it has tailored this year's commercials to deliver themes of "hope, positivity, and possibility."
“As we look to this year’s Super Bowl, we are excited to illustrate how Anheuser-Busch is accelerating its transformation and further adapting to today’s consumers,” said Benoit Garbe, Anheuser-Busch's chief marketing officer, in a statement on the company's website.
NBCUniversal said it has sold 30-second commercial spots during the big game for as much as $7 million. Anheuser-Busch has been one of the biggest spenders, with nearly four decades of frogs chirping “Budweiser,” guys screaming “Whassup!”, and of course the Budweiser Clydesdales.
NBC will broadcast Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13, from Inglewood, California.