The Super Bowl is months away, yet Budweiser is already trying to tug at our heartstrings.
For Anheuser-Busch’s fifth annual Global Be(er) Responsible Day, Budweiser encouraged responsible drinking, advising that beer lovers come up with a plan to get home or a couch to crash on. To drive home the point, the ad introduces us to an adorable dog who’d be left without an owner—that is, if the owner decides to make the mistake of drinking and driving. Night falls, dog whimpers, and you think things are going to get really, really sad.
No need to spoil the rest.
It works! Like all ads that make us look for whoever’s cutting the onions, this spot reminds us that when we drink and drive, it not only affects our family and friends—and it does so without feeling too preachy. Add in recent comments from Budweiser’s parent company about the NFL, and it’s almost as if a beer company is becoming a voice of reason.
You don’t want to disappoint a dog, do you?
