Budweiser’s Emotional Super Bowl Ad Highlights the Immigrant Journey of Its Co-Founder

Budweiser has left the puppies and horses behind, taking a different approach to their ad this Super Bowl season.

In the commercial, called “Born the Hard Way,” Budweiser takes a trip back in time to recount its co-founder, Adolphus Busch, and his immigrant tale from Germany to the United States.

The short commercial shows all the trials and tribulations Busch had to go to in order to create the mega brand as it is today. During the trip, Busch has to escape a burning riverboat and a slew of people telling him he is unwanted in this country.

Check out the commercial below.

“This commercial shows the start of Budweiser’s journey, and while it is set in the 1800s, it’s a story we believe will resonate with today’s entrepreneurial generation — those who continue strive for their dreams,” Ricardo Marques, Budweiser’s vice president of marketing, said in a press release.

Budweiser hopes this ad will help set the precedent for their brand moving forward.

“Marketing that tugs at the heartstrings will be more effective for Budweiser,” Matt Simpson, a beer industry consultant, told AdWeek.

According to Budweiser, the timing of the ad and the news of President Trump’s controversial immigration policy are completely coincidental.

“It’s true, Adolphus Busch made an incredible journey to this country, and that’s really what this is about. It’s about his vision, his dream, everything that he does to achieve that,” Marques said to AdWeek. “Even though it happened in the 1850s, it’s a story that is super relevant today. That’s what we’re honing in on; it’s the pursuit, the effort, the passion, the drive, the hard work, the ambition, that’s really what this is about more than anything else.”

He continued, “There’s really no correlation with anything else that’s happening in the country. We believe this is a universal story that is very relevant today because probably more than any other period in history today the world pulls you in different directions, and it’s never been harder to stick to your guns.”

With this ad, it sure looks like Budweiser is going to come out on top in the Super Bowl.