The Budweiser Clydesdales: Beer, Hooves, and Notoriety

While talking with my roommates this past week I found two of them did not know the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales. I was shocked to hear this as not only someone who grew up around one of the few home barns in Fort Collins, CO, but that their notoriety is not worldwide. While many individuals would not understand the complex history of the breed, and that it is only "Clydesdales," the #2 beer in the world deserves some recognition.

However, not to despair, as Budweiser knows their own value, and dropped a Pre-Super Bowl teaser this past week in anticipation of the Clydesdales storming the field--something that doesn't happen every year. The horses are adorned in their red harnesses, a six person cart, and equipped to pull a combined weight of eight tons. 

In an article published by Brian Steinberg in Variety, the 15-second clip is divulged to have more marketing relevance than meets the eye. Super Bowl ad time is a highly-contended, expensive, and valuable resource for marketers to have. The Super Bowl is prime spending time: thousands of drunk Americans feeling patriotic watching their respective teams fight for victory, sitting in the stadium seats, and experiencing the most coveted sports game of the year are likely to allow a bit of fun-money. Nevertheless, a 30-second ad for the Super Bowl are, on average, seven million dollars. Due to the high cost we see the same advertisers time and time again; Coke, Pepsi, Ford, etc. As Steinberg discusses, advertisers alike will begin dropping short, targeted ads in the coming weeks to avoid spending millions to advertise at the Super Bowl. Focusing on a centralized, established audience allows the consumers who already enjoy Budweiser to go and buy some, or even better, be thinking "I want one at the game" before they even hit their seats. 

Yet, as Steinberg further mentions, Budweiser has already committed to buying three-minutes of Super Bowl ad time. The notion seems frivolous when the aforementioned strategy saves time, money, and man-power. Psychology comes into play here as the mere exposure effect begins on the established audience: the more you're around something the more you want it. So, just in case any doubt is instilled about buying a cold Michelob Ultra, you're sure to see that ad and go get one. The Super Bowl ad goes one step further to reach the greater market, both at the game and TV viewers. 

Budweiser wants to be the best malt beverage out there--it's their value proposition. They have the horses to set them apart, they were the sponsored Super Bowl malt-beverage until 2022, and they have expanded their audience by going beyond a singular product (Steinberg). Of course, their value proposition goes deeper from that. Pulled from the Budweiser website, they focus on natural, clean ingredients to bring people together. But, I find it important to keep in mind that these are companies, not people. They are looking to make the most revenue possible and being the best is the quickest way to the top. 

Though, Budweiser can hardly be the best as conveniently packaged light beers have flooded the market for years. Their challenge is not straightforward. Corona, Bud Light, Coors, and so forth have stormed into the scene and it's evident as Corona took the #1 spot this last year.  Budweiser has to set themselves apart, which conveniently brings it back to the Clydesdales. 

No other brand has an animal. While that is not a remotely true statement, no other brand has horses. The centuries old partners of man, wagon carriers, battle riders, that are more often than not described as beautiful, majestic, amazing creatures. They are not simply Budweiser, they are the Budweiser Clydesdales. Budweiser's issue won't be with their image, it is with their drinks. However, this is not a marketing perspective, and I am not a food engineer. 

Because the Budweiser Clydesdales are so well known the ad itself does not mention the name "Budweiser" until the last three seconds. The notoriety of the horses is enough to clue an audience in on who is advertising to them. For ads like Corona or Heineken there might be a shot or two of lips taking a refreshing sip, but because there are so many beers on the market, the label has to be shown almost immediately to establish who is selling what. Here is an example where a Corona ad starts on the drink itself--there is no doubt about who is advertising. Budweiser is able to take a unique approach because they have distinguished themselves from the general beer-selling market. 

Yet, I did not love the ad. It was creative, new, fantastically shot, and got done what needed to be done, but they should have shown the foal. It was a brilliant move to show the ears pricking forward, and I commend them for getting a foal to pay attention that long--against common perception foals are horrible to work with. But, people want to see a foal. They are cute, tiny and the human brain is wired to see a baby--human or not--and immediately go "aww". The lack of the foal could be a push to google "Budweiser foal" to, again, push viewers to having Budweiser on their minds, but there is no public image released of the foal. There is a nod to the ad on the Budweiser Instagram as three posts are captioned "Follow along. . .," "Our newest star really looks up to the Clydesdales," and "Polished and ready." So, Budweiser is aware they will have increased foot traffic, and it seems likely the foal will be released on the Super Bowl or in the coming weeks. 

My learning for the assignment was fantastic, as Budweiser is truly set apart from other brands simply by one thing. Budweiser does not have fantastic drinks or anything else that truly sets them apart--besides jokes about Ultras. Their unique approach to marketing and keeping a brand alive amongst a midst of look-a-like, similar brands allows them to remain timeless. 

Hopefully in the future my roommates will remember who the Budweiser Clydesdales are.