The passion of 9/11 is captured in a moving Budweiser commercial that was only shown once at Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. Budweiser’s famed Clydesdale horses are featured in the commercial, which pays poignant homage to the people who lost their lives in the terrible incident. The images depict the horses galloping, outfitted, and towing a wagon throughout landscapes and towns blanketed in winter.
With the Statue of Liberty in the distance, the action shifts to the horses entering New York City across the Brooklyn Bridge. With the horses bending and the Statue of Liberty dominating, the advertisement closes with a reverent feeling.
The ad’s influence endures despite its one showing thanks to yearly online viewings on each anniversary. In order to create this homage, the Anheuser-Busch creative team overcame obstacles and shot in New York soon after the attacks with permission from Mayor Rudy Guiliani, Congress, and the advertising community.
2011 saw the rerun of the advertisement on the tenth anniversary. Viewers have expressed how the commercial’s pictures and music trigger memories and tears, encouraging memory for the lives lost and the bravery showed throughout the disaster. This demonstrates the strong emotional resonance of the video.
