Greetings from the left coast. It’s been a minute since Mowalla’s other half has chimed in from San Diego, but we are back in action fresh off our week long experience with the Budweiser Clydesdales at the MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim, CA (no, we did not man the shovels while we were there).

Mowalla coordinated the arrival, housing and departure of these fine animals at the MLB All-Star Game, making sure they were pampered and adored during their set-up and breakdown times. Being around these magnificent creatures made us realize something: they are extremely powerful both literally and from the perspective of brand experience. We can't think of a more iconic American animal (save for the Bald Eagle) that is more internationally recognized and so easily denotes a brand. 

Despite being situated in the MLB Sponsor Zone with dozens of other agency interactions, The Clydesdales demanded attention and were one of the most powerful (and oldest) experiences at the All-Star Game. We also need to give a shout out to Brady, the faithful Budweiser Dalmatian who travels with the horses. He was the epitome of a true brand ambassador as he roamed the stables greeting the guests.

The Clydesdales were first introduced to the public in 1933 as a celebration of the repeal of prohibition and have been a mainstay in the Budweiser marketing portfolio ever since. All the Clydesdales are: geldings, at least 18 hands at the withers, and feature bay coloring with iconic 'socks' on their feet. Most of the horses hail from two Budweiser partnered farms in the United States, ensuring brand standardization and consistent look and feel. What this tells me is that Budweiser has been getting the brand experience right for quite some time. It’s one of the reasons we enjoy working with them so much.

As testament to their popularity, fans unanimously voted on Facebook for a Clydesdale commercial to be included in Bud’s Super Bowl ad campaign after originally being taken out of their 2010 marketing mix. Some of the fans that we interacted with were even happy to get a little pony-slobber on their clothes when the horses were in ‘full-dress’ and on display. One of the hitch men we worked with at the stables said it best, “It’s gotten to the point where people think the breed is called Budweiser-Clydesdales”. And that, my friends, says everything about the horsepower of the Clydesdale experience.

Signing Out,

Mowalla, San Diego