What Is a Budweiser Clydesdale & Why Is It Such a Huge Part of Super Bowl Tradition?

A 30-second Super Bowl ad costs a whopping $7 million! But then the payouts are astronomical as well. The last Super Bowl had a viewership of 112.2 million. You sure do shell out a lot of money. But you get the opportunity to broadcast your message to a mammoth audience.

Thee have been several Super Bowl ads in the past. Some of them have been memorable. Some, let’s just say, were a waste of marketing dollars. One campaign that has consistently captured our attention is Budweiser.

What does Budweiser have to show this year?

Budweiser just dropped a teaser for their upcoming game ad, and guess what? The iconic Clydesdales are making a grand return on Feb. 11! Last year, Anheuser-Busch shifted the spotlight to Bud Light, and the “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” ad featuring Miles Teller nailed a strong sixth place in Ad Meter’s ratings.

This year’s teaser gives us a sneak peek, with Clydesdales trekking up a snowy crest, accompanied by the classic tunes of The Band’s “The Weight.”  Anheuser-Busch is pulling out all the stops with commercials for Bud Light and Michelob Ultra too. After facing U.S. sales declines in 2023 due to a consumer boycott, they’re looking to make a triumphant comeback.

But why is it such a big deal exactly?

What’s the deal about the Super Bowl and Budweiser Clydesdales?

The Budweiser Clydesdales have been stealing the spotlight at the big game since the 1986 Super Bowl. How? By making a memorable entrance through the snow while a catchy chorus declared “When you say Bud, you’ve said it all.”

Thee iconic horses graced the screens during the 1991, ’92, and ’95 Super Bowls. But it was the 1996 ad that truly took the cake. Picturing two teams of Clydesdales playing football in a snow-covered mountain meadow, it set a new standard. Jeff Knapper, Anheuser-Busch’s GM for Clydesdale operations, revealed that a team of Clydesdales underwent rigorous training. For weeks? Nope. For several months to nail the commercial shoot. The horses learned specific moves, first solo and then in groups.

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It’s almost a tradition now. And the Super Bowl is really incomplete without it. “Budweiser has been synonymous with the Super Bowl for decades, and the broadcast continues to be a very special moment for our brand and a core pillar of our advertising strategy,” shared Kristina Punwani, Head of Marketing at Budweiser USA. What other ad are you looking forward to in the Super Bowl LVIII?

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