Clydesdales might be back in the Super Bowl

By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Clydesdales might appear in Super Bowl XLIV after all, according to the brewer of Budweiser, which is reconsidering an ad with the iconic horses after putting them on the bench for the championship game.

The original 30-second Clydesdale ad was shelved after it failed to impress a group of test viewers, according to Anheuser-Busch (BUD). But the brewer is taking another look at the ad, after a re-editing it to a longer, 60-second version.

budweiser_clydesdales.03.jpg
Anheuser-Busch is giving the Clydesdales another chance for Super Bowl 2010.
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The ads for Super Bowl 2010 bring back some old faces as well as a few newcomers.

"We filmed the Clydesdales ad with the intention of running it in the game, but the first edit didn't turn out the way we wanted," said an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson. "The 60-second version allows for a better story to be told. We really liked the edit, so we decided to throw it back in the ring."

However, there is no guarantee that the draft horses will be making an appearance during the game, according to the brewer.

Instead, Anheuser-Busch was posting the 60-second ad Friday on its Facebook page, where it will run alongside other ads that are being considered for the Super Bowl. The company will take consumer feedback into consideration when it decides which ads will run during the game, according to the spokesperson.

Anheuser-Busch, the Super Bowl's exclusive beer advertiser for 22 years, has bought 5 minutes worth of ads this year for Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Select 55 and Michelob Ultra, making it the top advertiser.

CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), the broadcaster for this year's game, said it is charging up to $3 million for 30-second spots. Neither CBS nor Anheuser-Busch has identified the cost of the 5 minutes.

The Clydesdales have served for decades as the face of Budweiser products -- not only in televised ads, but also in up-close visits at parades and the company-affiliated theme parks in Florida and Virginia.

Clydesdale ads featured prominently in the 2009 Super Bowl. An ad about a love affair between a Clydesdale and a circus horse scored high marks with viewers in a USA Today poll.

This year's Super Bowl, between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, will be played Feb. 7 at Sun Life Stadium near Miami. The facility in Miami Gardens, Fla., formerly called Dolphin Stadium, was recently renamed. To top of page

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