Heartland, nostalgia and AI: Super Bowl advertisers mine America’s past and future | U.S. & World [Video]

By Dawn Chmielewski

(Reuters) -Anheuser-Busch InBev brought back its iconic workhorse Clydesdales for a Super Bowl ad that the brewing company says celebrates the “grit and determination” of the American spirit.

The Budweiser commercial marks a return to tradition, after a disastrous social media promotion for its Bud Light brand in 2023 featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked calls for a boycott.

“We’re definitely seeing Budweiser play it safe this year,” said Charles R. Taylor, a marketing professor at Villanova’s School of Business and author of a book about Super Bowl ads. “Everybody loves the Clydesdales.”

The return to safe, familiar, nostalgic ground represents a trend among some advertisers for this year’s Super Bowl LIX, in which the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans. Brands, which spent $8 million for 30-seconds of air time, leaned on humor, celebrity and warm references to America’s heartland, reflective of the cultural …