5-1 Discussion: Super Bowl Ads – Past, Present, and Future
Championship Game commercials are as closely associated with America as baseball and
apple pie. The commercials that air even during Championship Games have evolved weirder all
throughout years. Once I was browsing advertisements from the 1985 Championship Game, I
noticed that the majority of them were quite uninteresting and plain. They were all extremely
straightforward and preferred to merely highlight their offering. The advertisements have all
evolved through time towards becoming funnier, sportier, and far more costly.I usually imagine
Budweiser when I consider Super Bowl commercials. Since 1986, when they dashed through the
snow while a chorus chirped, "when you say Bud, you've said it all," the Budweiser Clydesdales
have appeared in Super Bowl commercials. The Clydesdales also made an appearance in the ads
from 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996. They also appeared in the "Respect" post-9/11 campaign.
Budweiser started employing canines and pups in their Super Bowl commercials in 2000. Worst
Day (2000), Dog Sitter (2011), Puppy Love (2014), Lost Dog (2015), and Wind Never Felt
Better this year are some of the films we've seen over the years. The preponderance of former
commercials have caused us to smile and/or cry (we're looking at you, "Puppy Love"), but this
year's advertisement was a little different. The use of wind power for distilling is mentioned in
"Wind Never Felt Better." Played over Joan Baez's "Blowin' in the Wind" is a Dalmatian with his
ears blowing in the breeze. "This Bud's for a Better Tomorrow" appears as the concluding words
on the screen. This Bud's for You and This Bud's for a Better Tomorrow, respectively, seem to
represent a shift in Budweiser's marketing strategy away from producing beers for the average
man. I believe it is more important than ever for businesses to demonstrate to their customers
how they're working to create a prosperous future for each of us.
