Have you ever been so hungry you could eat a horse (metaphorically, of course)? Well, we have. However, when it comes to Budweiser’s enormous Clydesdales, we’re pretty sure if they wanted to, they could eat you. In preparation for the television debut of Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial, the beer giant‘s iconic horses are packing on the pounds. And, after learning about their diet, we’re sure glad their feed bill doesn’t come out of our pockets.
Ahead of Sunday’s big game, The Takeout checked in with Budweiser and their equine to learn about the animals’ origins and eating habits.
Straight from the horses’ mouth, or at least the mouth of the person that feeds them, Budweiser’s Clydesdales each consume between four and 12 pounds of grain a day. They also devour between 30 and 40 pounds of hay and up to 30 gallons of water. Again, that’s per horse.
Taking into account Budweiser’s 150 Clydesdales, those totals equate to 1,800 pounds of grain, 6,000 pounds of hay, and 4,500 gallons of water daily.
To put that number into perspective, that means Budweiser is responsible for acquiring the total weight (about 6,000 pounds) of a Ford F-250 in hay every single day. That’s excluding total weight for feed. Other comparisons include the equivalent of a “very large white rhinoceros” or the overall weight of a blue whale’s tongue.
Here at Outsider, we know feed can get expensive. But as a left-brained individual, I don’t even want to think about the budget necessary to keep America’s equines fed. Instead, I’ll just turn my attention to the mastery of narrative it took to construct Budweiser’s 2022 Super Bowl commercial.
Budweiser Has a ‘Message for America’
The Super Bowl kick-off is less than a week away. However, for those anxious to catch some of the game’s commercials, Budweiser shared its message online last week. And it’s sure to have Outsiders everywhere taking pride in what it means to be, truly, American.
Titled “A Clydesdale’s Journey,” the commercial features one of its famous horses sprinting across the plains of the American landscape. Nearby, Budweiser’s equally beloved retriever looks on. All too soon, the horse’s run gets cut short as it becomes injured attempting to jump a fence.
The remainder of the commercial, backed by a decelerated version of the national anthem, follows the horse’s recovery process. Seasons go by and finally, we look on as the massive horse again sprints free across the plains. It’s then that Budweiser nails the narrative with, “In the home of the brave, down never means out.”
After choosing not to air a Super Bowl commercial during the 2021 game, Budweiser returns, with aspirations to unite the American people in the face of great adversity.
Budweiser’s Vice President of Marketing, Daniel Blake, concluded that the purpose of this year‘s message is to function as “a really unifying message that everyone can come together and feel pride that as Americans, we always bounce back.”