High In The Air

Most memorable was Super Bowl mainstay Budweiser’s Wild West, a highly entertaining spot starring Coen Brothers darling Peter Stourmare, set in the dusty frontier world of the popular American imagination.

They broke their self-imposed tradition by not centering on the Clydesdale horses, instead making them fixtures in an Old West town. In this new setting, the horses almost seemed out of place. It was clear the brand was Budweiser, but overall the commercial had a bit of an identity crisis. Still, the commercial was solid and had some heart-warming moments. However, it would have been nice if the iconic Clydesdales had been given a more prominent role.

In Budweiser’s Super Bowl, Wild West, Fear grips a small town – ladies fling shutters closed; men flee down alleys – as a villainous cowboy arrives, loads his six-shooter, and steps into the swinging-door saloon. As the ladies of the house flee upstairs to safety and the nervous bartender struggles to compose himself, the varmint walks menacingly toward the bar, his boots clomping on the wooden floorboards. From beneath the veil of his hat, the intimidating man declares, as he fingers his six-shooter, “Give me a Bud.” The bartender squeals in fear, “We just ran out.”