The Ad Budweiser Would Have Run For Super Bowl LV

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“Budweiser will not be running a commercial during the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years. Instead, the Anheuser-Busch InBev beer will use the marketing dollars to support Covid-19 vaccine awareness and access.” — CNBC.

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We open on a Black Title Card with a fade-in on the following quote:

“I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.”

— Trump, in an interview with journalist Bob Woodward

Fade-in on the following quote:

“Wear a mask.”

— Dr. Anthony Fauci, CNN interview, May 21.

Fade to black.

Cut to the inside of a closed stable. A sweet, older farmer, mid-60s, opens the sliding doors, which lets in the daylight, as well as a small, yellow labrador. Our lead is wearing a slightly oversized flannel, denim jeans, and a worn baseball cap. The sunshine has nothing on the warmth that exudes from this gentleman’s smile and presence.

The light allows us now to see a row of Clydesdales in their respective stalls.

We see brief, various close-up shots of our seasoned farmer refilling the Clydesdale’s feed, fluffing up hay in their stalls, running around outside with them, brushing their manes, and having an intimate moment of connection with his mature hand against their chestnut cheeks. After this moment, our loving farmer returns to his home.

We see him enter a modest house with a cluster of picture frames along the wall, including photos of him and the Clydesdales throughout the years. There is also a centered picture of him and a younger fellow (Son, strong, mid-30’s) posing with the Clydesdales. We stay on the wall of picture frames as our senior lead walks past the camera. Through the reflection on the glass frames, we can see a TV turn on. Ever so subtly, we see the news on in the frame’s reflection, and it is covering the COVID-19 Pandemic. The bottom news header reads “Over 400,000 Deaths from Coronavirus.”

It’s a new day. Like the opening, we are inside a closed stable when our humble, aged farmer opens the sliding doors. He is in a different but relatively similar outfit to help emphasize the new day, and we run through our same routine of brief, various close-ups (except for him coming home and seeing the news).

This “new day, same routine” pattern (sans the going home part) happens three more times. Within each day of these next three times, we include the farmer cough during the first food refill, rub his limbs (which are sore) while fluffing the hay on the following day, and have to sit down from fatigue while playing with the Clydesdales on the last day.

At the beginning of day six, the doors swing open, but the shadow is slightly different. It’s not our adorable, past-one’s-prime lead, but a younger, hotter, but still rugged farmer. He is wearing a face mask. A keen eye will be able to detect this is his son from that framed photo before.

Close up of various Clydesdales. Their eyes look sad. They look around, trying to see if the elder man is behind, but he is not.

Chords of Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” begin playing.

The sky is grey, and the Clydesdales are out in the field with the attractive son. There is a lot less energy. They all just feed on the grass, but they do not play. Suddenly, we see an ambulance in the distance. The sexy son, who has been shoveling manure, looks up and puts his elbow on the upright shovel, watching the ambulance zoom by. He looks sad but still seductive.

The Clydesdales also look up when they hear the siren and see the flashing lights. Something is up. Something is wrong. This is all different.

In unison, the Clydesdales begin chasing after the ambulance. Simultaneously, the “See You Again” beat drops and revs up. It’s the “uhh” and “ooooh” part of the song.

We see the ambulance zooming down a long, rural road from a bird’s eye view, with six Clydesdales running behind.

Back to the soft chord version of “See You Again.”

Cut to the interior of a hospital room. Our withered farmer is lying in bed and connected to an oxygen tank. He looks exhausted and frail.

His TV is off, but in the reflection of the screen, he can see something in his window. IT’S THE CLYDESDALES!!!

He turns, slowly gets up, and walks towards the window.

From his POV, we now see the Clydesdales lined up outside his hospital room, and they are wearing blue hospital face masks.*

Our Grandfather of a man puts his wrinkled hand up to the window. His wrist has a hospital bracelet on it, and his arm is connected to an IV. The center Clydesdales leans his head against the window. From almost a 50/50 split screen angle, it appears as though the farmer’s hand is touching the head of the Clydesdale (like before when he was healthy).

Cut to On-Screen Graphic of Budweiser — below the brand name; the text reads, “Wear A Mask. But Still Go To Bars & Restaurants And Drink Bud.” We see our hashtag text below that text, “#MaskWeiser”** in the end card.

*This part will be figured out at a later date.

**Hashtag is still being decided, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive for the “MaskWeiser/Mask Wiser” wordplay.