• by Danielle Oster , January 31, 2024

Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdales are the heroes of the brand’s newly shared 60-second Super Bowl ad.

Entitled “Old School Delivery,” the ad, shot by Henry Alex Rubin -- who won an Outstanding Commercial  Emmy Award in 2020 for his work with Sandy Hook Promise -- centers its spokeshorses as heroes providing an traditional solution to a modern crisis.

“Old School Delivery” introduces its conflict from the jump, with a crowded bar losing power during a snowstorm in a small town, before the scene shifts to a nearby Budweiser facility where a radio broadcast reveals all major roads are closed. Luckily, the Clydesdales show up out of nowhere as the story’s deus ex machina (equus ex machina?) to save the day, with the delivery team deciding to “do it the old school way,” and load up a horse-drawn carriage full of beer to deliver to the bar before concluding with the message, “Delivering Since 1876.”

Budweiser USA Head of Marketing Kristina Punwani says the ad demonstrates the brand’s commitment to fan service by presenting Budweiser’s “biggest celebrities.”

Budweiser’s Clydesdale-centering approach extends beyond the broadcast ad. The brand will be bringing the horse heroes to Las Vegas for community activations designed to “bring the story of the commercial to life” for consumers of drinking age in the city (which is very unlikely to see any snowfall) for Super Bowl weekend. The brand is also sharing content featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales on its social channels, inviting audiences to follow their journey leading up to the Big Game.