Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercials are legendary for tugging at heartstrings, but their latest entry comes with a twist – and a bit of turbulence.
A Heartwarming Tale of Two American Icons
Budweiser’s new Super Bowl LX commercial, aptly titled “American Icons,” revives the brand’s most cherished mascots with an emotional Americana storyline. For the 48th time, the famous Budweiser Clydesdales return to the Big Game – this year joined by an unexpected co-star: a bald eagle, the national bird of the USA. The minute-long spot (set to air during Super Bowl 60 in February) opens on a young Clydesdale foal venturing out of its stable at dawn. The foal soon discovers a tiny, fallen eaglet beside a toppled tree. Initially hesitant, the horse trots away – only to gallop back when a storm hits, nobly shielding the shivering chick from the rain. Thus begins an unlikely friendship between two American icons.
As Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” swells in the background, we’re treated to a montage of the Clydesdale and eaglet growing up side by side. The horse nudges the little bird along through adversity – from braving snow to offering its own back as a perch for flying practice. Onlookers (including a real-life Budweiser barley farmer cameo) smile at the sight. In a triumphant climax, the now full-grown Clydesdale leaps over a log in graceful slow-motion – and behind it, a mature American bald eagle suddenly spreads its wings and soars into the sky. It turns out the foal’s tiny friend was destined to become a mighty eagle all along, finally taking flight in a chill-inducing moment of freedom and strength.
The ad’s final beats deliver the patriotic payoff. As the eagle soars alongside the galloping horse, text on-screen proclaims “MADE OF AMERICA,” reinforcing Budweiser’s ongoing heritage campaign. Then comes the tag: “FOR 150 YEARS, THIS BUD’S FOR YOU.” This nods to Budweiser’s 150<sup>th</sup> anniversary this year – a milestone the brand proudly weaves into the narrative. The spot ends on two humble farmers cracking open Budweisers after a hard day’s work, awestruck by the eagle and horse’s display. One quips, “You crying?” to his misty-eyed friend, who deadpans back, “Sun’s in my eyes.” It’s a gentle wink at the ad’s own tear-jerking ambitions, as the camera fades out on the eagle gliding across an amber sky.
In classic Budweiser fashion, “American Icons” packs sweeping cinematography and wholesome charm. Academy Award-nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin – helming a Bud SB spot for the third straight year – brings a cinematic polish to the storytelling. Filming involved actual Clydesdales (bred from Budweiser’s iconic stables) and a trained bald eagle named Lincoln (provided by the American Eagle Foundation under federal permit) to ensure authenticity. The result is a visually striking fable that blends the mythic imagery of Bud’s past ads (no puppies this time, but an eagle with Pegasus-like symbolism) with a contemporary message of resilience and friendship. It’s unabashedly sentimental – intentionally so. As Budweiser’s VP of Marketing Todd Allen explains, the brand set out to “rise to the occasion in a way only Budweiser can,” using powerful storytelling to celebrate its deep-rooted American heritage. “‘American Icons’ brings our heritage to life,” Allen says, “through the Budweiser Clydesdales and an American bald eagle. This year’s spot will leave fans awestruck and proud to enjoy a Budweiser as they celebrate our shared milestone moments.”
“Made of America” – Budweiser’s Heritage on Full Display
The timing of “American Icons” is no accident. Budweiser is not only toasting 150 years of brewing tradition (the brand was founded in 1876), but also looking ahead to America’s upcoming 250th birthday. The commercial doubles as a patriotic tribute and a marketing pivot back to what made Budweiser famous. In recent years, the King of Beers has experimented with youthful, stylistic Super Bowl ads – last year’s spot centered on six diverse everyday Americans, narrated by Kevin Bacon. But this time Bud leans all the way into nostalgia and national pride. The new ad is the centerpiece of Bud’s year-long “Made of America” campaign, which emphasizes that Budweiser isn’t just brewed in America, but built from the American story. To drive that home, Budweiser is even releasing limited-edition Heritage Cans featuring classic label designs from decades past, celebrating “the brand’s storied past” as it kicks off the next 150 years.
Visually and thematically, “American Icons” feels like a deliberate return to core values. It evokes the spirit of Budweiser’s most beloved Super Bowl classics – think the 1990s Clydesdale team bowing to Ground Zero, or the 2014 puppy adoption tear-jerker – rather than chasing trendy humor or celebrity cameos. No celebrities feature in this ad at all (unless you count the animals), a notable contrast in an era when many Super Bowl commercials cram in famous faces. Budweiser instead banks on Americana itself as the star. By casting a Clydesdale and a bald eagle – two living symbols of the United States – the brand is quite literally wrapping itself in the flag. The company even chose an anthemic Southern rock ballad (“Free Bird”) as the soundtrack, amplifying the classic Americana vibe. And it worked on an emotional level for many: early viewers of the teasers have described the full ad as a “goosebumps”-inducing story about friendship and freedom, tailor-made to pull on patriotic heartstrings.
Budweiser also seems eager to remind viewers of its own American bona fides. (After all, the beer’s parent company AB InBev is a global conglomerate co-headquartered in Belgium – a fact some critics like to point out.) The ad’s tagline “Made of America” pointedly aligns Bud with American agriculture and labor. Indeed, one of the farmers in the final scene isn’t an actor at all but Brian Fransen, a real Budweiser barley farmer from Idaho. Including him was a nice touch to underscore the brand’s supply chain roots in U.S. farms. Likewise, Budweiser’s press materials highlight that for 150 years the beer has been “proudly brewed in the USA with the support of dedicated farmers and workers,” and that every sip contains a taste of that heritage. In short, “American Icons” is not just selling beer – it’s selling Budweiser’s identity as America’s beer. As Todd Allen puts it, “Budweiser isn’t only made in America; it’s made of America.”
A Backdrop of Controversy – Mixed Reactions Brewing
While the ad’s sentimental approach will surely resonate with many – especially longtime Budweiser fans who love seeing the Clydesdales back in action – “American Icons” is also riding into a fraught cultural moment for Bud’s parent company. It arrives on the heels of a tumultuous year for Anheuser-Busch, one that saw Budweiser’s sister brand Bud Light mired in a major public backlash and boycott. In spring 2023, a segment of American consumers revolted after Bud Light’s brief partnership with a transgender influencer, sparking political controversy and sinking sales. Amid that firestorm, Budweiser notably tried to soothe tensions with a quick dose of patriotism – releasing a special ad featuring a Clydesdale galloping past iconic landmarks (the Lincoln Memorial, the NYC skyline) as a deep-voiced narrator extolled “the story of the American spirit”. That stopgap spot garnered as much ridicule as praise, and even led to safety concerns (one Bud distributor canceled Clydesdale show events due to threats). It was a stark illustration of how even Budweiser’s cherished Clydesdales had been dragged into the culture war.
Fast forward to Super Bowl LX, and it’s hard not to view “American Icons” through that same lens. Budweiser is ostensibly celebrating an anniversary, but it’s also executing a carefully crafted image reset. By leaning hard into all-American imagery and heartland storytelling, the brand clearly hopes to mend bridges with its core beer-drinking audience – many of whom skew traditional or blue-collar and may have felt alienated during the Bud Light drama. In essence, this Super Bowl ad is Budweiser doubling down on what it believes most Americans want from the King of Beers: Clydesdales, eagles, virtue in adversity, and a cold Bud shared between neighbors at sunset. It’s a safe recipe, perhaps even a calculated one.
However, “safe” doesn’t mean universally acclaimed. Reception to “American Icons” has been decidedly mixed. On social media, some viewers are already gushing that this commercial is “an instant classic” – a wholesome, beautifully shot story that gave them “chills” and even brought tears to their eyes. (In Europe, one advertising site went so far as to say Budweiser has secured a “podium among the most loved” Super Bowl ads this year.) Fans of Bud’s traditional style are applauding the return of the Clydesdales and the ad’s uplifting, family-friendly tone. “This is the Budweiser I remember – welcome back,” wrote one commenter, expressing a sentiment of relief that the brand “finally went back to its roots.” Given how iconic past Clydesdale Super Bowl ads have been, there is undeniably a nostalgia factor at play – and many want this ad to succeed.
Yet for others, the commercial lands with a thud of cynicism. Critics argue the spot is heavy-handed, even pandering. Variety, in its coverage, pointedly described “American Icons” as “one of the beer giant’s less subtle Big Game spots,” noting how obviously it pushes emotional buttons. Indeed, subtle it is not – the bald-eagle-as-America metaphor practically hits you over the head. Some viewers have groaned at the on-the-nose patriotism, dismissing the ad as “formulaic propaganda” meant to paper over the company’s recent woes. On beer forums and Twitter, you’ll find snarky takes: “Budweiser went from ‘Wassup!’ to the Lifetime Movie Channel,” one user quipped, calling the ad “too sappy by half.” Others suspect the brand is trying a bit too hard to claw back goodwill: “Cue the eagle and flag – guess Bud’s desperate to be America’s beer again,” reads a barbed comment typical of the skeptics. The use of “Free Bird” has also raised eyebrows in some quarters; while undeniably stirring, the song (by Lynyrd Skynyrd) carries its own baggage tied to Southern rock nostalgia, which not everyone receives uncritically. In short, what Budweiser intended as a unifying, moving tribute is being viewed by some as overkill or insincere in motive.
Adding fuel to this divide, eagle-eyed observers noticed that Budweiser disabled comments on the YouTube upload of the “American Icons” ad. Normally, Super Bowl spots rack up millions of views and plenty of feedback online. But on Bud’s official channel, the comments section for this video is conspicuously turned off – a decision that has not gone unnoticed. “Of course comments are off – wouldn’t want anyone pointing out the obvious,” one Reddit user mocked, implying the company knows the ad would attract sarcastic or politically charged replies. It’s not uncommon for brands to mute comments on potentially contentious campaigns (to avoid spam, trolls or hijacking of the narrative), but doing so for a feel-good Super Bowl ad is telling. It suggests Budweiser anticipated a backlash and preferred to let the film speak for itself, without open debate on that platform. If the goal was to create a universally beloved, controversy-proof commercial, the need to silence commentary hints that Budweiser’s leadership knows they haven’t entirely escaped the shadow of last year’s debacle.
A Balancing Act of Emotion and PR
From a creative standpoint, there’s little doubt Budweiser has delivered a polished piece of advertising with “American Icons.” The cinematography is gorgeous, the animals are endearing, and the narrative hits all the emotional beats of a Hollywood short film. In terms of Super Bowl storytelling, it checks the boxes: cute beginning, dramatic buildup, feel-good payoff, and a clear brand message. The tagline “For 150 years, this Bud’s for you” cleverly ties the brand’s heritage to the viewer, making it personal. If you have a sentimental bone in your body (or any affection for horses or eagles), this commercial will likely get you misty-eyed on game day. It’s a throwback to a simpler era of Super Bowl advertising – one could almost imagine it airing in the ‘90s or early 2000s alongside other earnest, big-budget mini-dramas.
Yet, the very qualities that make the ad memorable also make it a lightning rod for debate in 2026. We live in sharply polarized times; even a beer commercial with an apple-pie heart can spark division. Budweiser’s team appears well aware of walking this fine line. By invoking patriotic symbols so conspicuously, they risk alienating viewers who are cynical about overt patriotism in marketing, or who feel it’s a shallow attempt to gloss over corporate missteps. Conversely, not leaning into those symbols could risk failing to re-engage the brand’s traditional base. It’s a tricky balancing act.
Our take? “American Icons” is a beautifully produced ad that succeeds as a piece of emotional storytelling – but it also comes across as calculated. The friendship of the Clydesdale and eagle is undeniably heartwarming; it’s hard not to smile when the little eaglet flaps its wings from the horse’s back in a failed flight attempt, or when the kindly farmers crack jokes through tears. The spot pays homage to Budweiser’s legacy in a way that feels genuine enough, and it will likely give the brand a short-term boost of positive buzz (and maybe even a Super Bowl ad ranking or two). On the other hand, the commercial is so carefully engineered to be uncontroversial that it ironically became a bit controversial. By trying to be everything to America – honoring history, celebrating unity, avoiding any hint of edge – Budweiser has invited scrutiny about its motives. The ad will please many, but it may not do much to win over skeptics who see it as corporate pandering.
Bottom line: Budweiser’s Super Bowl LX entry doubles as an emotional love letter to America and a PR play to restore its image. It will likely strike a chord with Super Bowl viewers who have a soft spot for nostalgia and patriotism – especially after a few beverages on game night. It’s the kind of grand, cinematic ad that people will remember and talk about, at least through the post-game news cycle. However, it also showcases the challenges of marketing in a divided era. Even beer commercials aren’t just about beer anymore; they’re statements (intentional or not) about values and culture. “American Icons” attempts to unite viewers under the banner of common symbols and shared history. Whether it truly resonates or rings hollow will depend on the eye – and heart – of the beholder.
One farmer in the ad asks, “You crying?” The other replies, “Sun’s in my eyes.” When Budweiser’s ad airs during the Super Bowl, there’s a good chance some of us will have a bit of “sun” in our eyes – and others will be rolling them. This Bud’s for you, America, for better or worse.
As usual, Budweiser comes up with a poignant commercial!