The iconic horses have been as much a tradition of the Super Bowl as cheese dip, but when the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots kick off on Feb. 4, Budweiser’s Clydesdales will be left in the barn.
The Clydesdales have pranced their way through some heart-tugging commercials for the past 17 years, but Anheuser-Busch has decided to give them a rest this year.
Instead, Budweiser will air a commercial about how their workers since 1988 have helped distribute water during natural disasters.
Anheuser-Busch’s famed horses are taking the bench this year and, in their stead, the brewing company is promoting its 30-year-old philanthropic canned water giveaway initiative. The 60-second commercial is a hat tip to the company’s workers who halt beer production to can water for victims of natural disasters, most recently in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and California. Budweiser has given away 79 million cans of water to date. But the brewer has never publicized the effort on a grand stage like the Super Bowl.
The Clydesdales aren’t totally being sent out to pasture, though. A-B tells Parade they will make an appearance in a video due out next week on the company’s social media pages.
