One theme of Budweiser’s 2017 Super Bowl ads? A timely one: immigration.
In a commercial titled “Born the Hard Way” unveiled on YouTube Tuesday, the company tells the story of Adolphus Busch, the German immigrant who came to St. Louis, Missouri in 1857 and became the “Busch” in Anheuser-Busch after meeting brewery owner Eberhard Anheuser, another German transplant (he would also marry his daughter).
The actor in the ad plays a downcast Busch who is constantly menaced for being an immigrant.
“You don’t look like you’re from around here,” a man (Anheuser) tells him at the top Tempobet of the ad. We flash back to hard times in Busch’s journey to St. Louis, like hassling by authorities and a riverboat fire.
A fellow German asks why he left.
“I want to brew beer,” young Adolphus says, as if he can foresee the sudsy American empire awaiting him. By commercial’s end, Busch is newly assertive, showing Anheuser his sketch of a Budweiser beer bottle.
“Next time, this is the beer we drink,” he says.
A final message cues up on the screen: “When nothing stops your dream, this is the beer we drink.”
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
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